Prevention and early diagnosis are the best medicines when it concerns your oral health. At Smiles Arts of NY, our team of professionals always offers the same advice to ensure that our patients avoid costly procedures later down the road: make sure you visit your dentist at least every 6 months. These regular visits can achieve a great deal for your oral health and wellness. When you make time to receive the best teeth cleaning NYC has to offer, you’ll rarely (if ever) experience problems such as cavities or gum disease.
Goals of a Routine Dental visit
The core purpose of your visit to our experienced team is to ensure that your mouth is free from cavities and that existing dental work is in good shape. We’ll also check the health of your gums and perform a thorough teeth cleaning. NYC patients are lucky to have such an excellent choice of top-quality dentists available at their disposal, and we love to see you!
The importance of Dental X-Rays
Current technology allows us to use digital dental x-rays. One advantage is that they emit almost no radiation, compared to the days of traditional X-rays when developing film was involved. For people with a lower risk of cavities, taking just four X-rays to check between the molars for cavities may be recommended every six months. Patients with more extensive existing dental work, such as crowns and root canals, or with a higher risk of cavities, may require additional X-rays to be taken routinely.
How dental X-rays work
Dental X-rays require a non-invasive procedure that allows dentists to diagnose a range of problems. Using the same technology as body X-rays, an electromagnetic radiation wave is passed through your jaw to create an image. The most common method is digital, which uses 80-90% less radiation than traditional dental X-ray machines.
Dental X-rays can reveal:
- bone loss
- abscesses
- cysts or certain tumours
- unerupted or impacted teeth
- areas of infection
- cavities
- decay
Professional Dental Cleanings
No matter how dedicated you are with brushing and flossing at home, there are still places where plaque tends to accumulate. When plaque accumulates it causes inflammation and bleeding of the gums. During professional dental teeth cleaning (NYC or elsewhere), your dentist will make sure that every area of your mouth is thoroughly examined and cleaned. Removing plaque is important to prevent gingivitis and future gum problems. Your dentist will use an ultrasonic tool to gently remove any plaque and stain build-up. The next step is to check all areas with minor scraping and, finally, they will floss and polish your teeth to give them a nice shine and leave you feeling squeaky clean!
How does an ultrasonic scaler work?
You’re probably more familiar with an ultrasound used in pregnancy scans rather than on your teeth. But ultrasound has all kinds of applications in the medical world, and giving you the best teeth cleaning NYC residents have ever seen is one of them!
These tooth scalers use technology that converts electricity into mechanical energy resulting in up to 50,000 vibrations a second. These vibrations allow tiny water vapour-filled bubbles to form, which implode under pressure and help to loosen plaque particles on your teeth. It might sound dramatic, but all of this happens on a very small scale so you’ll just feel the sensation of tiny vibrations in your mouth, which can actually be pleasant.
Hand scaling as an alternative
In some cases your dentist may recommend this traditional method of scaling. While it does the same job as the ultrasonic scaler (removes plaque with thorough teeth cleaning), NYC dentists are generally excellent at performing hand scaling, and it can be even more effective for some patients. It takes a little longer but it’s worth it in the long run.
Your dentist will use a small mirror and some scaling tools to carefully clean each individual tooth, working their way through each quadrant of the mouth. It’s methodical and extremely effective at getting every nook and cranny of the mouth sparkling clean.
Offering Tips for Oral health
Dentists can offer tips tailored to you to help improve your oral health. You may have areas that need extra flossing, or cavities that are beginning to form, but with extra care and attention these can be solved without any dental intervention. Often a good teeth cleaning (NYC coffee drinkers, rest assured you won’t have to give up your favorite beverage!) is all that’s needed. A dentist can also spot if you’re grinding your teeth at night; in these cases, a night guard may be recommended. Furthermore, they can recommend the best products to buy, in terms of what might work best for you and those to avoid. These pearls of wisdom can greatly benefit your oral health.
Top Tips From Our Dentists
- Looking after your oral health is an important part of your overall well-being. Not only will it keep your smile looking bright and fresh, but it can have other beneficial effects on your general health. Here are some top tips from our expert dental team.
- Brush twice a day: this old adage is one to live by, and for good reason. Brushing twice a day for two minutes at a time will give you a thorough teeth cleaning. NYC dentists will be happy to demonstrate the best technique if you’d like to brush up on your skills – pun intended!
- Snack carefully: think about what you’re reaching for next time you’re feeling peckish. Lots of seemingly harmless snacks can actually do a lot of damage to our teeth, such as sugary bars or acidic juices. Maintain a balanced diet and always have water on hand to neutralise any acidity in the mouth.
- Try fluoride mouthwash: this is an easy way to prevent plaque buildup and wash away any debris in between the teeth. Plus it will leave your mouth feeling super fresh every time!
- Interdental cleaning: mouthwash is useful but the best way to keep gums healthy is to make flossing a daily habit. Flossing before you brush your teeth is the best way to keep bacteria at bay and will level up your teeth cleaning; NYC dentists all agree!
Discussing your Dental Health Concerns
When it comes to dentistry, the internet may not always have the correct answers to your questions. We advise that you always speak with a dentist about any concerns to ensure that you get the right advice to benefit your overall oral health. For example, many of our patients are interested in teeth whitening. Our professionals can assess whether you’re a good candidate for this procedure, and set realistic expectations before deciding to start the treatment.
Prevent Emergencies and costly dental treatment
It’s very rare for us to find serious dental issues in patients who visit the dentist routinely. Our team of professionals can stop any problems from occurring by advising patients on what to focus on at home and areas that need improvement. Catching cavities early, while they’re still small, can prevent costly dental emergencies that may require procedures such as crowns, extractions, implants and root canals. We know that helping our patients maintain good oral hygiene will prevent problems like gum disease from occurring later on.
If you have any concerns, or just feel like you’re in need of a check-up, get in touch with our friendly team of dental professionals today. At Smile Arts, we have many years of experience in offering the best advice and services to our patients. If you have a problem, or even if you don’t (and want to keep it that way), we’d be delighted to hear from you to discuss your options.
