What’s your highest priority? It varies from person to person, but certainly, good health is on everyone’s Top Five. Your oral health impacts your overall health, and so, your dentist in Hutchinson, Dr. Grant D. Ringler, recommends everyone get 6-month oral exams and cleanings. Along with his partnering Hutchinson dentists, Dr. Melissa Barnhart and Dr. Justin Barnhart, Dr. Ringler puts preventive dentistry first–keeping smiles healthy, strong and shining for years.
Following the ADA’s Lead
The American Dental Association is the biggest and most respected professional organization for dentists. It also distributes important information about dental health to consumers via the internet, and print and broadcast media.
Dr. Grant Ringer, Dr. Melissa Barnhart and Dr. Justin Barnhart concur with the ADA’s recommendations for preventive dentistry, and they see the results through their Hutchinson dental practice. Patients who come in routinely for digital X-rays, cleanings and check-ups have stronger teeth and gums and better systemic health. They avoid dental emergencies, such as abscessed teeth or lost crowns and fillings. Plus, while dental problems are a fact of life, they are far easier and less expensive to treat when detected early.
What Happens at a Routine Visit
First, expect your teeth to come out clean and shining. Your dental hygienist will gently scale your teeth, removing sticky plaque and hard tartar that brushing and flossing miss. She will floss between your teeth, polish them and assess your gum health. This easy check involves measuring gum pockets–the spaces between gum tissue and tooth enamel.
Then, your Hutchinson dentist visually inspects your teeth and gums for signs of tooth decay or gingivitis. Left untreated, cavities and gum disease play leading roles in tooth loss. Additionally, advanced gum disease, or periodontitis, leads to bad breath, tooth mobility, infection and health concerns, such as diabetes, stroke, dementia and heart disease.
In addition, the dentist checks your bite, jaw joint function, condition of tooth enamel, fillings and crowns and assesses for oral cancer. Oral cancer is deadly when undetected. Caught at its earliest stages, however, it has a high cure rate, says the Oral Cancer Foundation. While there are certain risk factors for oral cancer, no one is immune. So, that’s why this easy and painless assessment of lips, gums, cheeks, tongue and lymph nodes in the neck is so critical.
After the dental exam, the doctor shares his or her treatment plan with the patient, discussing the findings and listening to the individual’s concerns and aesthetic goals. This courteous and detailed dentist-patient communication is a hallmark of preventive care with Dr. Ringler and his associate dentists.
Prevention Provides a Solid Foundation
Your smile can last a lifetime. Attain that goal with regular visits to Dr. Grant Ringer’s office in Hutchinson. If it’s time for your routine check-up, contact the office today for a convenient appointment time.