Dental Cleanings & Hygiene in Durham, NC
The most important thing you can do to protect your oral health is to make a conscious commitment to brush and floss your teeth. Sounds pretty basic, right? That’s because simple steps like conscientious oral hygiene and routine dental exams and cleanings at The Smile Shop help you dramatically minimize your risk for dental problems.
Dr. Kate Dolin, Dr. Adam Spriggs, and Dr. Alessandro recommend exams and dental hygiene appointments at our Durham, NC, dental office at least every six months. When we see you twice a year, our dentists can monitor your oral health and look for signs of small problems developing. Addressing conditions like cavities and gum disease when small protects your oral health, minimizes discomfort, and saves money on dental treatment.
Schedule Your Dental Exam and Cleaning in the 27703 Area
Excellent oral health is a gift you owe to yourself. You’ll feel better and more confident about your appearance. You won’t be weighed down by chronic dental conditions that take their toll on your quality of life and budget.
Whether you want to maintain a healthy smile or get help for existing problems, call The Smile Shop and schedule your next dental exam and cleaning in Durham, NC.
- Why do I need to brush and floss regularly?
- How often do I need dental exams and tooth cleanings?
- What happens during a routine dental cleaning?
- Why do you need to take dental x-rays?
- What is periodontal disease?
- How do you treat gum disease?
- What happens if you don't treat gum disease?
- Why do I have sensitive teeth?
- What can you do about sensitive teeth?
Why do I need to brush and floss regularly?
Plaque is the soft deposit that accumulates on your teeth from the food and drinks you consume. It is filled with bacteria that cause cavities and gum disease, so you should brush at least twice a day and floss once to remove it.
If not removed by regular brushing and flossing, plaque can harden into a substance called tartar or calculus that clings to your teeth and leads to gum disease. You can’t brush or floss tartar away at home, and only a skilled hygienist or dentist in Durham, NC, can remove it using specialized instruments.
At The Smile Shop, we follow the recommendations set by the American Dental Association that say you should floss once per day and brush twice daily for two minutes. But frequency is only half the battle! Proper brushing and flossing techniques are also essential.
That’s why we take time each appointment to educate you and ensure you use the best methods for a clean and healthy smile. If you want to know more, call us today!
How often do I need dental exams and tooth cleanings?
The frequency of dental exams and cleanings varies and depends on your oral health. While many children and adults require a regular cleaning or “prophylaxis” every six months, some require getting their teeth cleaned and evaluated more frequently, such as every three to four months. The health of your gums and bone surrounding your teeth play a large part in determining if your teeth need professional cleaning more frequently.
For most people, dental examinations should occur at least twice a year. We typically schedule these exams with your cleaning appointments every six months.
What happens during a routine dental cleaning?
Routine tooth cleanings at The Smile Shop with our amazing licensed dental hygienists allow for all tartar and plaque to be removed that adversely affects your teeth. During each appointment, we will provide oral hygiene instructions to each patient, including:
- Going over any areas that you are missing at home
- Recommendations of kinds of toothpaste or rinses that fit your needs
- Proper brushing and flossing techniques
- Dietary habits affecting your smile
After getting your teeth cleaned by one of our amazing hygienists, one of our dentists comes in to evaluate the health of your teeth, gums, and smile. We check for signs of cavities by examining the appearance of each tooth with their mirror and magnified loupes glasses. The gums and bone are evaluated with comprehensive periodontal measurement charting while looking for signs of recession and inflamed gums.
If it’s time for your next dental cleaning and exam, please call our Durham, NC, dental office to arrange a convenient appointment.
Why do you need to take dental x-rays?
Dental x-rays play a huge role in allowing us to complete a comprehensive exam. The different types of x-rays will enable us to see the condition between your teeth, an area we cannot see directly. X-rays also help us evaluate and screen for periodontal disease by being able to see bone levels around your teeth. They also will help us look for signs of infection and any pathology that may be present.
What is periodontal disease?
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 50 percent of Americans have periodontal (gum) disease. A bacterial infection of the gums usually occurs due to a lack of proper oral hygiene. During the day, a sticky biofilm called plaque collects on your teeth. Plaque is filled with bacteria that cause cavities and gum disease if you don’t remove them from your teeth.
If bacteria-filled plaque is allowed to collect on your teeth and under your gums, it causes the infection we call gum disease. When you have gum disease, the periodontal pockets (the space between your gums and tooth) may be deeper than what you can keep clean at home with a toothbrush and floss.
If you wait too long to seek gum disease treatment in Durham, NC, you put yourself at risk for periodontitis, the most advanced stage of gum disease. At this point, the infection is already damaging the bone and structures that support your teeth and can lead to tooth loss.
Periodontal disease can progress with few signs or symptoms. Often, people are unaware of the presence of the disease, and a thorough examination is required to determine the status of your periodontal health.
- Bleeding gums when you brush and floss
- Puffy, red, irritated, or swollen gums
- A change in the way your teeth feel
- Bad breath that won’t go away with mouthwash
How do you treat gum disease in Durham, NC?
The treatment recommendations for periodontal disease vary depending on severity. Every case is different, so we focus on formulating a customized treatment plan best suited to your needs.
The most common treatment is a deep cleaning procedure called scaling and root planing. This specialized cleaning removes all plaque and tartar below the gums, including periodontal pockets.
Following the initial deep cleaning at our Durham, NC dental office, we place you on a three to four-month recall to perform periodontal maintenance to prevent the plaque and tartar from re-forming under the gums. By keeping the teeth clean, we help prevent the further progression of the disease.
What happens if you don't treat gum disease?
It’s essential to treat gum disease as soon as your dentist finds it. You can’t have healthy teeth if your gums are not healthy, and if you put off treatment, irritation and infection from bacteria leads to resorption (shrinking) of your gums and the bone surrounding your teeth. This loss of bone and supportive tissues is one of the indicators of advanced periodontal disease.
Without treatment, periodontal disease can lead to infections and tooth loss. If you have diabetes and heart disease, you are particularly at risk of having periodontal disease. Untreated gum infections can adversely affect the health of your entire body, particularly your heart.
If you notice symptoms of gum disease like bleeding or puffy gums, call The Smile Shop to get on our schedule as soon as possible. The sooner we treat it, the less long-term damage periodontal disease will do to your oral health.
Why do I have sensitive teeth?
Having sensitive teeth is all too common in today’s world. It can affect your daily life, make you stay away from the food and drinks you love, or even make dental cleanings uncomfortable.
Sensitive teeth can occur for many reasons, including:
- Recession of gums exposing the root surface of a tooth
- Diet-related from consuming frequent acidic drinks like soda
- Using a whitening treatment, toothpaste, or rinse
- Presence of cavities
If you're bothered by sensitive teeth, call our Durham, NC, dental office to schedule an appointment so we can help you.
What can you do about sensitive teeth?
Staying up to date with cleanings and exams is our priority, and removing tartar buildup and screening for cavities will be completed at each cleaning visit.
- Improper brushing techniques can contribute to gum recession, which worsens tooth sensitivity. Your dental hygienist will review proper brushing and flossing techniques to help with sensitivity.
- Some ingredients in toothpaste can worsen sensitive teeth. There are many kinds of toothpaste specifically to help with sensitivity. We can help you choose one that is right for you!
- The foods you eat can contribute to the symptoms of sensitive teeth. Avoiding acidic foods frequently throughout the day and replacing with water.
- For severe cases, sensitivity varnishes and even fillings are available to help.
If you experience sensitive teeth, let us know during your visit. We want your smile to be happy and healthy!
Frequently Asked Questions
When it comes to keeping your teeth free of dental plaque that causes cavities, there’s no substitute for brushing twice a day and flossing once. However, scientific studies confirm that chewing sugar-free gum for 20 minutes after meals can help fight cavities.
Sugar-Free Gum Increases Saliva Flow
Chewing sugar-free gum after meals is helpful because it increases your salivary flow. Saliva is beneficial for your oral health because it carries away food particles and debris that lead to plaque buildup.
Plaque is a magnet for bacteria that produce acid when you eat, and chewing sugar-free gum neutralizes these acids. Because saliva contains calcium and phosphate, it also helps strengthen tooth enamel.
Chewing sugar-free gum is often recommended for those who suffer from dry mouth and may also help those who experience acid reflux. The increased flow of saliva also increases secretion and swallowing and helps clear acid from the esophagus.
Choose Sugar-Free Gum with the ADA Seal
When choosing your sugar-free gum, be sure to choose only brands that carry the ADA Seal of Approval. You can be confident that gums with the ADA Seal meet the criteria for being safe and effective.
Schedule Your Next Teeth Cleaning in Morrisville, NC
Chewing sugar-free gum can help fight cavities but shouldn’t be used as a substitute for brushing twice a day and flossing once.
At The Smile Shop, we are all about finding solutions that make it easier for you to keep your smile clean and healthy. If you’re due for your next teeth cleaning, call our Morrisville, NC dental office for an appointment.
When you get your teeth cleaned, your dental team has several goals in mind. The first goal is to remove plaque and tartar build up on your teeth. The second goal is to examine your teeth and gums. When you schedule a dental cleaning in Morrisville, NC, it’s usually a quick, painless procedure. Knowing what to expect can put your mind at ease and prepare you for your dental visit.
How does the process work?
When you arrive at your appointment, your dental hygienist or dental assistant will begin cleaning your teeth, starting with scraping off any plaque or tartar that has accumulated. Plaque is a soft deposit that builds up from the food and drinks you consume, particularly sugars and starches. When not removed from your teeth by regular brushing and flossing, plaque hardens and becomes tartar, which is more difficult to remove.
Unchecked plaque and tartar can lead to tooth decay and gum disease, and sometimes it hides in places you can’t reach. That’s why it’s important to make twice-a-year dental cleanings part of your dental care routine.
What happens after the cleaning?
After your dental cleaning, your dentist will examine your teeth for swelling, inflammation, or redness. The dentist will also check your gum health by measuring the spaces between the tops of your gums and where they attach to the teeth. Finally, the dental team will take digital x-rays to find any hidden issues. Your dentist will discuss the results and any recommendations before you leave.
Teeth cleanings at The Smile Shop typically take about an hour. This includes time spent with your hygienist cleaning your teeth, as well as your examination with Dr. Dolin, Dr. Spriggs, or Dr. Toussaint.
During your teeth cleaning in Durham, NC, your hygienist will remove any plaque or bacteria built up on your teeth that you might've missed during your brushing and flossing routine at home. They will also review proper brushing and flossing techniques to help you develop an effective home care routine.
Your teeth cleaning is also an excellent time to ask your hygienist for product recommendations that may help you improve your home care, like an electric toothbrush or antibacterial mouth rinse.
During your examination, your Durham dentist will check your current restorations for any wear or breakdown that might be problematic. They'll also screen you for problems like tooth decay, gum disease, and oral cancer.
Early diagnoses of problems allow you to be proactive about your dental care and treat any concerns as early as possible. This saves you time and money in the long run.
Is it time for your next checkup and teeth cleaning in Durham, NC? Contact The Smile Shop at (919) 941-5549 for more information.
Meet Our Doctors:
Drs. Kate Dolin and Adam Spriggs
We are Drs. Kate Dolin and Adam Spriggs, a husband and wife dental team.
Natives of small towns in West Virginia, we met while attending the West Virginia University School of Dentistry. Prior to dental school, we both practiced as dental hygienists; collectively, we have over 20 years experience in the dental field.
Our mission is to provide personalized comprehensive care in a calm and soothing atmosphere. Dental treatment can be complex and often specific to each individual. We believe patient education is a vital aspect of each visit so informed decisions ...
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