Practicing social distancing and staying home as much as possible is essential during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, experts say that doesn’t mean you should cancel or postpone your upcoming routine dental checkup. Putting off these biannual visits can allow serious oral health issues to arise, which can eventually influence your overall health and immune system. Your Lawrenceville dentist explains why regular preventive care is so important for your wellbeing and what they’re doing to keep you safe during your appointment during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Stop Small Dental Issues from Becoming Big Problems
Your regular dental checkups are about a lot more than polishing up your teeth! Each one includes a thorough examination of your mouth as your dentist looks closely for the earliest warning signs of issues like:
- Tooth decay, abscesses, or impacted teeth hidden beneath the gumline.
- Cavities, weakened enamel, or slightly cracked or damaged teeth.
- Gum disease, which is a serious bacterial infection in the gum tissue.
- Abnormal swelling, discoloration, lumps, or textures that could indicate cancer or infection.
The earliest stages of these problems typically develop without you seeing or feeling them. However, leaving them untreated can lead to painful complications, permanent damage, and expensive treatments. Thankfully, visiting your dentist twice a year for checkups gives them a chance to spot these issues before they can cause you any unnecessary damage or discomfort.
The Importance of a Healthy Smile During COVID-19
Skipping dental checkups and leaving problems like cavities and gum disease untreated can easily lead to dental infections and tooth loss. However, the health of your mouth influences the wellbeing of the rest of your body as well. These oral health conditions trigger a response from your immune system, which leaves it less prepared to fight off viruses like COVID-19. While the best way to protect yourself from COVID-19 is to practice social distancing, keeping your mouth healthy with your regular dental checkup can help lower your risk of developing serious complications from the coronavirus.
Your Lawrenceville Dentist’s Commitment to Safety
Your Lawrenceville dentist and their team have always taken infection control very seriously. To keep you as safe as possible while providing the dental care you need in these unusual times, they’ve established numerous additional COVID-19 safety precautions, like:
- New state-of-the-art equipment such as HOCI foggers, advanced chairside suction, and HALO-LED air purification systems.
- Advanced COVID-19 training, daily health checks, and increased personal protective equipment for all team members.
- Health questionnaires, no-touch temperature checks, hospital-grade hand sanitizer, and antimicrobial mouthwash for all patients before their appointment.
- Sequenced appointment scheduling, virtual waiting rooms, and changes to the reception area to maximize physical space between patients.
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed many aspects of our lives, but it hasn’t changed the importance of routine preventive dental care. If it’s time for your checkup, you can rest assured that your dentist is taking every precaution to keep you and your smile as healthy as possible.
About the Practice
At Transforming Smiles in Lawrenceville, GA, nothing is more important to us than the wellbeing of our patients. That’s why we agree with the recommendations of the American Dental Association and encourage our patients to come in for regular dental checkups every six months. After careful consideration, we have added 26 COVID-19 safety precautions to our normal standards of care to ensure we can safely provide the care you need. If you’d like to learn more about our Commitment to Safety, more information can be found on our website, or you can call (770) 995-7616.