TL;DR
At Stone Falls Dental Care in O’Fallon, a checkup pairs a professional cleaning with an exam by Dr. Carleigh Prane. The hygienist removes hardened tartar and polishes off surface stain. Dr. Prane then checks every tooth for decay, looks over your existing fillings and crowns, measures the gums for early periodontal disease, screens for oral cancer and orders X-rays only when your situation calls for them. Most adults do well coming in twice a year; a history of gum disease usually means closer visits. Most insurance plans are accepted, and new patients can ask about the welcome exam offer the practice has run.
What happens during a dental exam at Stone Falls?
An exam here starts with your health history, because medications, pregnancy, diabetes and heart conditions all change what we see in the mouth and how we treat it. We go over it at each visit, even if you were here six months ago, since a new prescription can be the reason your mouth feels dry or your gums bleed.
Then Dr. Prane looks at the whole picture. The practice has always described its aim as “dental health care” rather than “disease care,” and the exam is where that starts: finding the small thing early, while the fix is still small.
- Every tooth surface, checked for new decay
- Existing fillings, crowns and bridges, checked for wear, leaks or cracks
- Gum pockets measured for signs of periodontal disease
- Lips, tongue, cheeks, throat and neck, screened for oral cancer
- Jaw joints, chewing muscles and how your teeth meet
- X-rays, when your history and risk call for them
What does a professional teeth cleaning remove?
A professional cleaning removes tartar, the hardened plaque that brushing and flossing can’t lift once it sets. Plaque is a soft film of bacteria that forms on teeth every day. Left in place, it mineralizes into calculus within days, often just under the gumline where it keeps the tissue inflamed.
The hygienist scales that buildup off with instruments made for the job, cleans between the teeth, then polishes away the stain coffee, tea and time leave on enamel. You’ll leave with smooth surfaces that plaque has a harder time clinging to.
A routine cleaning, called a prophylaxis, is meant for healthy gums. If the exam finds deeper pockets and bone loss, the right care is a deeper cleaning below the gumline, which we explain on our scaling and root planing page.
How often should adults have a checkup and cleaning?
Twice a year suits most adults, though the right interval is the one your mouth needs. Someone with healthy gums, few fillings and good home habits often holds steady on six months.
Others need to come more often. A history of gum disease, smoking, diabetes, a dry mouth from medication, or a mouth full of older dental work can all justify visits every three or four months. After periodontal treatment, those closer visits keep the gains from slipping, and we cover that schedule under periodontal maintenance. Dr. Prane will tell you what she recommends and why.
Why keep regular cleanings when nothing hurts?
Because the problems a checkup catches usually don’t hurt yet. Early decay rarely causes any feeling at all, and gum disease stays quiet for most of its course. By the time a tooth aches, a cavity that once needed a small filling may need a crown or a root canal.
Regular visits also give us a baseline. When we know how your gums measured last year and what your X-rays showed, a small change stands out, and a small change is far easier to treat than a large one.
It’s also the visit where questions get answered. If a tooth has been sensitive to cold, your jaw clicks, or you’ve wondered about whitening or replacing an old silver filling, bring it up. The checkup is the easiest time to talk it through with the person who has just looked at your teeth.
What does a first checkup cost, and does insurance help?
Most dental plans treat checkups and cleanings as preventive care, and we accept most insurance plans, including United Concordia, TriCare, Delta and Blue Cross Blue Shield. Our treatment coordinators will check your benefits before your visit at no charge and answer questions about what’s covered.
For new patients without insurance, the practice has run a $49 welcome visit that covers the exam, the X-rays you need and a regular cleaning, for mouths without gum disease. Offers change through the year, so see our current patient offers or ask the front desk which ones apply when you call.