How routine cleanings and exams promote lasting health of your smile, and whole self

Maintaining or restoring healthy smiles (and more) starts with routine cleanings and exams. These periodic appointments are also fundamental to preventative dentistry. Led by Dr. Paige Woods, Brighton Dental enthusiastically supports the well-being of individuals and families from San Diego, Carlsbad,and our slice of Southern California with proactive and holistic dental care. Since dental and periodontal (gum) health is so critical to basic functions and systemic wellness, our services are essential to overall well-being. They include:

  • Comprehensive evaluations
  • Oral cancer screenings
  • Standard professional cleanings 
  • Deep cleanings to resolve active gum disease 
  • Painless laser-assisted dentistry 
  • Advanced diagnostics; for instance, 3-D scans and quality surface imaging

Routine visits typically include a full-mouth exam and the “standard” dental cleaning. For healthy patients with no risk factors or active disease, these visits are scheduled twice yearly (once every six months). If you smoke or have comorbidities such as diabetes, or other risk factors for oral disease, Dr. Woods will want to evaluate the state of your teeth and gums more frequently. During these exams, she looks for problems that might otherwise go undetected. Notably, gingival inflammation or early-stage gum disease is notoriously silent in its earliest stage. Dr. Woods has the keen know-how and cutting-edge diagnostics to pinpoint problems that require treatment at their earliest stages before they cause damage. 

She also checks for problems with supportive tissues and structures, such as the jaw joints. No evaluation would be complete without evaluating (by sight and touch) for discoloration, swelling, and other abnormalities that may indicate pre-cancers or oral cancers. 

Like early enamel erosion or gingival inflammation, oral cancers may produce symptoms that are easy to ignore or no symptoms at all early into the disease process. So, it is critical for us to routinely identify such cancers before they have spread to other parts of the face and body.

Brushing up on professional cleanings 

Holistic dentists like Dr. Woods empower patients with credible and tailored guidance on caring for their teeth and mouths. However, even the best home hygiene is not a substitute for cleanings by one of our skilled dental hygienists. Our professionals have the specialized tools and training to remove destructive substances that cannot be removed with regular toothbrushes and other store-bought oral care products; for instance, plaque is constantly forming on the teeth. Once it hardens into tartar, this plaque build-up is notoriously stubborn and requires a gentle, professional hand. 

If needed, a “deep clean” (scaling and root planing) may be performed to stop gum disease from progressing. Nonsurgical therapies are generally recommended to avoid more invasive and less tissue-preserving procedures. As a holistic dental practice, we also use an array of technologies and techniques (such as lasers) to support precision treatment and the most comfortable, safe, and efficient experience at our office. 

Schedule your routine check-up at Brighton Dental today. Call (619) 831-8559 to reach our kind and talented team in San Diego, CA. Oral conditions, such as advanced gum disease, are associated with a range of systemic illnesses – from poorly-controlled diabetes to heart disease. So, by promoting your oral health, we ensure the overall health and well-being of the whole “self.”