When you schedule a checkup at Somersmiles Dental in Somerville, there’s a lot more going on than just having your teeth polished! A scale and clean appointment is an important part of preventing unwanted oral diseases and intercepting issues as early as possible (when they’re easier and more affordable to correct.)

Aside from your hygienist removing the soft plaque and hard tartar buildup from your teeth, here are some other important activities that are going on when you’re laying back in the dental chair:

Measuring Your Gum and Bone Levels

Your hard and soft tissues are what’s responsible for stabilizing your teeth. We’ll use a special tool to measure your attachment tissues and compare it to X-rays, where the bone height is visible.

Screening for Oral Cancer

Oral cancer is hard to detect on your own until it’s reached an advanced stage. We want to carefully screen for tissue changes so that, if needed, a specialist can intervene as early as possible.

Evaluating Your TMJ Function

Your jaw joint affects your teeth, but the muscle movement or discomfort associated with TMJ disorder can radiate into your face, head, neck, and back.

Noting Systemic Warning Signs

Did you know that certain types of medical conditions can cause warning signs and symptoms inside of your mouth? Anything from cancer to vitamin deficiencies can leave noteworthy changes on your oral tissues, giving our Somerville dentists a chance to let you know about them well before you realize there’s a problem.

Schedule a Checkup Every Six Months

To keep your smile healthy, we recommend booking an exam, scale and clean twice per year. If you’ve had gum disease in the past, you may want to visit as often as every three or four months. Call Somersmiles Dental today to schedule!