At Beckett Dental Care, we promote preventative dentistry and believe in helping our patients achieve total health. We encourage our patients to have regular dental hygiene appointments and dental exams. Establishing regular dental checkups is the first step towards maintaining good dental health for your teeth and gums.  This allows us to be proactive, catching small problems before they become larger issues.

Your dental checkup appointment will include a dental cleaning (dental prophylaxis), performed in our office by one of our wonderful registered dental hygienists, and an exam completed by our Beckett Dental Care dentists.

What to expect at your dental checkup appointment:

  • Review and updating of your medical history.
  • Removal of the soft plaque and hard tartar (calculus):
    • Plaque is a sticky film that forms on your teeth. Composed of a bacteria, which produce toxins that lead to inflammation of the gums and cavities.
    • Tartar occurs when plaque has been left on the tooth for an extended time and forms a hard substrate on the tooth and root surface. Tartar can only be removed with special dental instruments.
  • Tooth polishing which helps to remove deposits left by coffee, tea, and surface stains.
  • Fluoride treatment.
  • Education on proper home care including brushing, flossing, and diet to help maintain a healthy mouth.

After your teeth have been cleaned and polished, Dr. Nick or Dr. Chelsea will complete your dental exam to evaluate your entire mouth and supporting structures.

  • Check the health of each tooth for signs of decay, wear, trauma, cracks, etc.
  • Evaluate existing restorative work (crowns, bridges, fillings, implants, partial dentures) are secure and intact.
  • Review any digital x-rays or 3D cone beam images. 
  • Gentle probing of gums, to assess your periodontal health.
  • Oral Cancer Exam

After your cleaning and exam, Dr. Nick or Dr. Chelsea will work with you to create a treatment plan to help you maintain your oral health – this may include anything from restorative dentistry, cosmetic veneers, a referral to a specialist or maybe just scheduling your next dental checkup appointment.