Making time for dental checkups is a must if you want to maintain a healthy smile. Your North Little Rock, AR, dentist, Dr. Robin Eiler of Eiler Family Dentistry, offers a variety of dental services that help your entire family care for their smiles.
Dental visits protect your oral health
Regular checkups and cleanings are essential to the health of your teeth and gums. During checkups at the North Little Rock dental office, your dentist looks for subtle signs of tooth decay, gum disease, and other issues. Diagnosing and treating oral health problems promptly helps you avoid extensive, costly dental procedures.
If you schedule your checkups every six months, as recommended by the American Dental Association, any issues that are diagnosed are more likely to be minor and easier to treat.
In addition to protecting your oral health, regular dental visits also offer benefits for your general health. Your dentist conducts an oral cancer screening and looks for signs of diseases that may produce obvious signs in your mouth. For example, bleeding, red gums aren't only a sign of gum disease but may occur if you have diabetes. Eroded tooth enamel could be a sign that you have gastroesophageal reflux disorder (GERD).
In addition to a checkup, you'll also receive a dental cleaning during your visit. Cleanings remove plaque and tartar, substances that cause tooth decay and gum disease. The cleaning process also removes minor surface stains, helping your teeth sparkle.
Other benefits of regular dental visits
Adding twice-yearly dental visits to your calendar offers several important advantages in addition to reducing your risk of cavities and tooth decay. During visits, your dentist can discuss treatments and devices that will protect or enhance your teeth and gums, including:
- Sealants: These protective coatings are applied to molars and pre-molars and reduce your children's risk of cavities.
- Nightguards: Do you grind or clench your teeth while you sleep? The habit can wear down, crack or break teeth. Your dentist can fit you with a nightguard, a device that fits over your teeth and absorbs the force of biting and clenching.
- Crowns: A crown may be recommended if you have a tooth that's fragile and in danger of breaking, a broken tooth, or an unattractive tooth. The restorations, commonly called caps, fit over the top of teeth.
- Teeth Whitening: Teeth whitening erases stains from your tooth enamel, leaving your teeth three to eight shades whiter after just one visit.
Are you ready to make an appointment with Dr. Robin Eiler, your family dentist in North Little Rock, AR? Call Eiler Family Dental at (501) 753-8353 to schedule your visit.