Why is dental health so important?
Dental health is so important for a number of reasons. First off, your teeth and gums affect everything else in your body. Studies have shown that people that have healthy teeth on average live 10 years longer than those without teeth. Gum disease has also been linked to several systemic diseases such as heart disease, dementia, Alzheimer's, and diabetes, just to name a few. Secondly, your teeth are very important in allowing you to properly chew your food. Those patients without teeth often aren't able to eat their favorite foods such as steak, which leads to a lower quality of life. The third reason that having healthy teeth is important is that it gives you a nice smile that you're confident about, which helps you in social settings.
What is a healthy dental routine?
Having a healthy dental routine involves two things. Your at-home care includes making sure that you're brushing your teeth twice a day for two minutes at a time. We always recommend that you brush after you eat in the morning and then right before you go to bed. As well, we do recommend that you floss once a day at nighttime before you brush. The other portion of a healthy dental routine is making sure that you're coming in often to visit us. For most patients, this is every six months so that we can do a routine cleaning and exam and make sure that everything is nice and healthy.
What are the most common dental problems?
The most common dental problems that we see by and large are cavities in the teeth. This is when bacteria are starting to grow inside the teeth and eat away at the teeth. And the second most common issue that we see is gum disease. That's where bacteria are destroying the bone that surrounds your teeth, which is a big problem because that can lead to you losing your teeth in the future. Some other common issues that we see in teeth are cracks in teeth, fillings that are starting to break down and need to be replaced. As well, sometimes we also see that patients will have some lumps and bumps that need to be looked at. So we're always doing an oral cancer screening as well to make sure everything is healthy.
How long does a full dental exam take?
At our office for new patients, we typically book an hour and a half for their initial exam. This allows us to take a thorough look at their teeth. We take x-rays of all of the teeth. We take some pictures so that we have initial records. I'll come into the room, take a look at all of your teeth, see what needs to be done, if anything, and then generally we will try to start your cleaning as well. That's basically the first visit.
How often should the average person go to the dentist?
The average person should go to the dentist on average every six months. This would be people that have good oral hygiene, minor dental issues. For those patients that do have more active gum disease or say are building up calculus more frequently, we typically will recommend a three to four month recare schedule.
What is a routine dental cleaning?
A routine dental cleaning involves three main components. First off, we do some scaling. This is where we remove the bacterial buildup that's hardened onto the teeth so that this bacteria doesn't continue to grow and then cause gum disease. Once all of this is removed, we then move on to polishing, which allows us to remove any of the staining on your teeth. Lastly, we apply a fluoride varnish. This helps to keep the outer layer of your tooth strong so that it's less likely to develop cavities in the future.
What does dental insurance cover?
We often get asked what dental insurance will cover. This does vary widely from plan to plan. Usually dental plans, insurance plans, are good for covering routine visits. They’ll generally cover these routine cleanings every six to nine months. They're generally good as well for covering, say you have a cavity or two and we have to do a filling, they are good at covering most of the cost of that. It's more when patients haven't been in for a long time and the work starts to pile up that we typically go outside of the insurance frequencies. Our main goal though at our office is that we're taking care of your teeth despite your insurance plan. We want to make sure that everything is healthy, even if we're outside of those insurance limitations. We certainly can help you with the cost. There's many different options that we can look at such as patient financing so that we make sure that you are healthy.
How should I schedule an appointment for dental services?
The best way to schedule an appointment for your dental services would be to give us a call at our office or you can also reach out via email and our receptionist will be happy to set you up with an appointment. If you do have any additional questions or you are ready to take action, please feel free to give us a call at (204) 817-6768.
Preventative Dental Solutions
At Renew Dental, we offer tailored and preventative dental solutions. By focusing on preventive care, we aim to identify and address issues early on, so you can avoid invasive procedures down the line and enjoy a future where routine cleanings are your main focus.
Advanced Dental Technology
When it comes to dental care, Renew ensures that we not only deliver the best treatments, but we also have the best equipment. We utilize state of the art dental equipment and embrace new technologies that enhance dental care, so you can experience the most innovative solutions to improve your oral health.
Family Practice
Whether it’s for you or your child, our dental team is here to provide care for every member of your family. We understand that dental visits can be challenging, especially for children. At Renew Dental, we go the extra mile to create a welcoming and comfortable environment.