Dental Exams & Cleanings
Cottage Grove, Wisconsin
Did you know that maintaining healthy teeth and gums is critical to the well-being of your entire body? At Wisconsin Family Dental, we provide cutting-edge preventive services to keep your smile healthy and sound. We look forward to building lasting, trusting relationships with every member of your family!
What Is Preventive Dentistry?
Preventive dentistry is a field dedicated to maintaining optimal oral health through regular dental exams and cleanings, preventative dental procedures, healthy lifestyle habits, and meticulous home oral hygiene practices. Our goal is to prevent the onset of dental diseases and to detect and address any problems early on before they progress and require extensive treatments.
Maintaining proper oral hygiene care will reflect on your overall health. Poor oral hygiene not only affects your oral health but is also associated with serious health concerns, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, dementia, and respiratory infections, to name a few.
How Often Should You Visit Your Dentist?
According to the American Dental Association, you should schedule your dental appointments at intervals determined by your dentist. In most cases, our patients require twice-a-year dental exams and cleanings. However, patients with periodontal (gum) disease or those at a higher risk of dental problems may require more frequent dental visits.
What Happens During a Dental Exam?
Our team will capture digital dental x-ray images to uncover any signs of decay between your teeth, bone loss, cysts, or abnormalities we can’t detect during a visual exam. We’ll also take your medical and dental history and ask you if you have any current dental concerns.
Dr. Behling will examine the x-ray images and thoroughly evaluate every aspect of your oral health. She’ll look out for tooth decay, gum disease, and gum recession and make sure any fillings, crowns, or other restorations are free of damage. Dr. Behling will also evaluate your bite and conduct an oral cancer screening to rule out abnormalities.
After your exam, Dr. Behling will review her findings with you. If she uncovers any oral health problems, she will recommend the best and most conservative treatment options. She will also outline any preventive procedures you need to keep dental disease at bay.
What Happens During a Professional Dental Cleaning?
Our dental hygienist will start by using a special dental instrument called a scaler to remove hardened plaque and tartar from your teeth and gum line. Next is brushing your teeth and flossing to remove any remaining plaque deposits and debris, then polishing your tooth enamel to remove some surface stains. The last step is applying fluoride to strengthen your tooth enamel and make your teeth more resistant to tooth decay.
If we detect signs of gum disease, we may recommend a deep cleaning, a procedure called scaling and root planing. Scaling is similar to what you experience during your routine dental cleaning. Root planing, on the other hand, involves cleaning and smoothing out the tooth root surfaces to encourage the gum tissues to heal and reattach to the clean tooth surfaces.
Preventive Care at Home
Make sure you and your family members maintain proper oral hygiene practices to maintain optimal dental health. These include regular brushing with fluoride toothpaste and flossing between your teeth to remove plaque and food particles. We also encourage you to consume a healthy, nutritious diet and limit sugary snacks and beverages.
Dental Exams and Cleanings Near Me in Cottage Grove, WI
Dr. Behling and our team at Wisconsin Family Dental never spare any effort to provide the families in our care with top-notch care and service. Our gentle approach to dentistry and Theo, our snuggle-ready dog, will ensure your time with us is comfortable, positive, and free-of stress.
We invite you to call our office at 608-839-9200 to schedule an appointment or online today!