Regular cleaning teeth with toothpaste, toothbrush and dental floss represents the foremost prerequisite for healthy teeth. But you have to visit your dentist on a regular basis too – at least once a year. Everybody must do it, because checkups are the best prophylaxis of dental health – even if there is a problem, complications can be avoided successfully. This makes regular checkups the best and money-saving way to maintain your teeth. 

What happens during the checkup?

• Examination - Your dentist examines carefully your teeth and mouth to detect problems with the gums, caries, old, already eroded fillings and infections. His or her experienced eye detects things you cannot spot including gum pockets which are a signal for gum disease; caries under existing fillings or wisdom teeth on their way of cutting through the gum and likely to cause problems in the future.
• Cleaning - The dentist cleans tartar. Its buildup damages the gums and may cause gum diesease – bleeding, pockets, foul breath and loose teeth. In our dental practice apart from ultrasound cleaning we also offer additional polishing and primary whitening with Air Flow. It removes stains caused by cigarettes, coffee, wine, etc. The feeling after cleaning is extremely pleasant. 
• Treatment - Sometimes the dentist removes a small problem during the checkup. If you come to us, during your first visit we will remove your tartar, if any. We can also remove stains caused by coffee, cigarettes and red wine using the Air Flow system. Besides we will take photos with a special digital camera to register all problematic zones in your mouth.
• Advice - СFollowing the checkup, the dentist outlines a treatment program. In our surgery this takes place in a dialogue with the patient. His or her questions are welcome. 

 

Dental checkups: how often?

Depends on:

• Your overall dental status 
• What efforts you make to keep your teeth healthy 
• How fast tarter builds on your teeth 
• If your family members haven’t got perfect teeth, you’d better visit your dentist more often – once every 6 months. 

 

PROFESSIONAL HYGIENE

Professional cleaning is the only way to remove tartar. Its buildup causes gum damage. Cleaning done by the dentist, helps to smooth the surface of teeth and fillings. The exercise seeks to prevent the buildup of plaque. Dental plaque represents a transparent bacterial film building on teeth every day. Besides, during cleaning certain stains on teeth are also removed, and the result is that teeth look much more appealing. 

 

Chronic bad breath (Halitosis) 

• Bad breath (halitosis) can add a lot of confusion to both your private and social life. Its timely and effective treatment restores the patient’s psychological balance. Most often than not bad breath is caused by the disintegration of food particles due to the work of bacteria in the mouth. These bacteria inhabit spaces between teeth and gums and deeper grooves in the tongue. Bacteria produce a gas that smells like foul eggs. And this is the problem of bad breath! 
• Bad breath has to do with periodontal disease (gum disease). Its causes gum pockets to form. The deeper they grow, the more they capture food and help feed bacteria. 
• The encouraging news is that bad breath can be treated through a combination of specialized dental help plus an individual program for mouth hygiene. 
• Your dentist will ask you a few questions to find out the reason for bad breath. He or she will determine where bad breath comes from: the mouth or the nose. This takes place with a special device – a halimeter.
• The procedure is painless. The dentist may want to take a bacteriological sample from the mouth for lab testing.. 

 

Have in mind

• It is important to brush the teeth regularly with toothpaste, and also floss them. In this way you will remove food particles and will avoid too much bacteria developing in the mouth. 
• If you have gum disease and the resulting bad breath, your dentists can prescribe the use of an irrigator to flush gum pockets.
• Bad breath may be the result of the sticky plaque building on the tongue. The tongue then becomes whiter in color. This shows very clearly when you are ill. In such a case the dentist may recommend the use of an instrument for cleaning the tongue.
• If you complain of dry mouth, artificial saliva may be your solution. Make sure to drink more liquids too. 

 

Other important points

• Select a dentist experienced in treating halitosis Do not forget that bad breath can appear as the symptom of serious health problems – a respiratory infection, sinusitis, chronic bronchitis, diabetes, stomach or intestinal disorder, liver or kidney ailment. If bad breath persists after dental treatment, and is coupled with other symptoms, call on a qualified doctor without delay. 
• Contrary to popular belief, mouthwash is not the right solution for halitosis. It can play the problem down for a while, but due to its alcoholic content, this product dries the mouth up. With this bad breath worsens. The same is true about mint sweets and chewing gums. 

 

In our dental practice we give special priority to checkups and professional cleaning of the teeth and mouth. Our objective is to foster a habit with patients to visit their dentist with pleasure. Checkups are key for patients because: 

• this is a way to carry out prophylaxis of dental disorders
• this is the time when the dentist outlines a strategy for the maintenance of dental health.

 

Personal hygiene

• Brush teeth twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste and floss once a day. After flossing clean mouth with fluoride mouthwash. Fluoride mouthwash helps to prevent too much caries regardless of age. 
• Why flossing is so important? It is an efficient way to clean space between teeth, and this helps to prevent gum disease. The worst and widely spread gum disorder is the periodontal disease. It may even cause loss of healthy teeth.
• If your gums bleed upon brushing, this indicates periodontal disease. Go to your dentist for an exam to evaluate the extent of the disease and prescribe appropriate treatment.
• Choose a toothbrush with artificial polished bristles because they are less likely to injure gum tissue. Use a soft bristled toothbrush with a size and shape that allows you to reach all tooth surfaces.
• Replace your toothbrush every three months. Even the best toothbrush abounds in bacteria after three-month daily usage.
• If you experience pain or sore muscles in the jaw joint area or even headaches, you may be grinding or clenching your teeth while sleeping. Speak to your dentist. He or she may prescribe a special appliance to protect your teeth and jaws at night.
• Visit your dentist at least once a year. 

 

Teeth and diet

• Consume plenty of calcium-rich foods, such as low-fat milk, yoghurt and cheese. 
• Eat crunchy foods that clean the teeth naturally (apples, carrots, and other raw vegetables) and foods with high vitamin C content, like citrus fruits, broccoli and kiwi. 
• Avoid sticky sweets, such as Turkish delight, halva, toffees, soft candies and pastries. These foods stick to your teeth and feed decay-causing bacteria. When candies are eaten in between meals they are more likely to stick between and on your teeth and cause decay. 
• Rinse your mouth with water after eating. However after eating sour foods like lemons, kiwi and oranges, it is not advisable to rinse your mouth immediately. Wait for some time, because during consumption of sour food, the mouth excretes a lot of saliva that cleans teeth in a natural way. If you rinse at once, you will remove the saliva and deprive teeth of this natural protection against acids. 
• Coffee, tea, red wine and other beverages can stain your teeth. Also, to keep teeth whiter be careful with grapefruit, cranberries, blueberries and cherries. 

 

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