Dental Cleanings

At Sage Dental in Wall, NJ, we consider routine dental cleanings a basic part of your overall optimal oral health program. For most people, this means twice-a-year professional cleanings performed by a trained dental hygienist or dentist. This is the best way to keep your teeth healthy by removing the stains, plaque and calculus that builds up on your teeth before they can cause damage to your teeth and gums.

Everyone wants a whiter and healthier smile. At your regular maintenance cleaning appointment, we also perform a comprehensive oral exam. As part of the exam, in addition to cleaning debris off your teeth (sometimes also called a “prophylaxis” by insurance companies), we will also take digital x-rays periodically to look in-between the teeth to make sure there are no areas of decay or bone loss starting that we can catch early and either reverse or prevent from progressing.

We also evaluate your current restorations for integrity and make sure they are intact and not leaking or fractured. The overall gum health and the monitoring of the pockets around the teeth will give us an idea of how well you are able to maintain your home care protocol.

Another aspect of home care is a conversation about diet and nutrition. Part of a successful home care routine includes monitoring the timing on sweets and sticky carbohydrates or coffee, alcohol and colas that have high acidity and can cause damage to your teeth. We can advise you on the best toothbrush for you as well as the best toothpaste to use for your particular situation.

If we see areas that have deep grooves in your teeth that are potential areas for decay, we might recommend dental sealants. If you are pregnant, have physical challenges with home care, have oral habits that are not ideal or take certain medications that contribute to having dry mouth, we might suggest Fluoride treatments to give you that extra boost of protection from getting cavities.

Finally, we check for oral cancer and evaluate your TMJ to look for unusual findings. We look for red or white patches on the cheeks, tongue, gums, palate or under the tongue for areas that are swollen or irritated. With the TMJ, we are listening for cracking or popping or muscle aches.

We find it significant that most dental coverage plans cover basic preventative cleanings as part of their program at 80-100% because they believe in the value it offers to the long-term maintenance of a healthy mouth. At Sage Dental, we consider ongoing maintenance check-ups to be an affordable and inexpensive way to ensure your most advantageous path to oral health that you deserve.