Our team loves educating our patients to help their smiles last for a lifetime. We believe that patient education can also help prevent significant dental issues. When you know what signs and symptoms to look for, you can get treatment before it is too late. Below, we’ve outlined some regular questions that we receive from our patients, along with our answers, for your convenience. If you would like more information on our patient service, please visit For patients.
How Do I Know If I Have Gum Disease?
Gum disease has different stages, the earliest being gingivitis, and the most progressed being periodontitis. It’s best to catch the less-developed signs of the disease (gingivitis) because this can be treated and even reversed. These include bleeding gums when brushing and flossing, chronic bad breath, and tenderness or redness of the gums.
Once the disease advances to periodontitis, you may notice symptoms including gum recession (which makes the teeth look longer), pockets of pus located between the teeth and gums, and loose permanent teeth.
Why Is It Important To Visit The Dentist For Routine Checkups And Cleanings?
The American Dental Association, along with our entire team at Derby Dental, recommend visiting the dentist every six months for a checkup and cleaning to ensure the health of your teeth and gums. Our goal at these visits is to minimize the chances that you’ll develop serious oral health problems by catching and treating them while they’re still small. By doing this, we hope to not only save our patients’ wallets from the cost of emergency invasive procedures, but to also keep our patients out of pain.
How Often Should I Switch Out My Toothbrush?
It’s recommended that you should change out your toothbrush once every three months, whenever you notice the bristles are beginning to fray, or after you’ve just gotten over being sick. This will prevent the accumulation of bacteria on the head of the brush that could transfer back to your mouth as well as keep your gums from being damaged.
At What Age Should I Start Bringing My Child To The Dentist?
The American Dental Association suggests bringing your child in for their first dental checkup by the time they turn one year old, or whenever their first tooth emerges, whichever comes first.
I’m Anxious About Visiting The Dentist. Can You Help?
Helping anxious and nervous patients feel more at-ease whenever they visit us is our specialty! We do whatever we can to make sure our patients are comfortable in the treatment chair, including offering nitrous oxide and oral conscious sedation.