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Dental Exams & Teeth Cleanings in Richmond, TX
A careful look, and a cleaning matched to your gums.
An exam finds what is changing. A cleaning removes the buildup you cannot brush away. Together they are the routine side of general dentistry at our Richmond office — unhurried, explained, and scheduled around what your mouth actually needs. Convenient for patients from Katy and Fulshear.
What happens when Dr. Wei looks
The exam is the diagnostic part of the visit. Teeth are checked for decay, cracks, worn edges, and fillings that no longer seal. Gums are looked at for bleeding, pockets, and recession. The bite, the jaw joint, and the soft tissues — cheeks, tongue, and the rest of the mouth — are part of the same pass, including a screening for changes that should not be ignored.
You should leave knowing what is fine, what needs treatment, and what can wait. A small cavity, a filling to replace, or a tooth that might need a crown gets named. So does the option to monitor something that is not ready for treatment.
What a regular cleaning actually does
A regular cleaning, sometimes called a prophylaxis, removes plaque and tartar from the teeth and from just under the gum line, then polishes the surfaces. Tartar is plaque that has hardened. Brushing does not take it off, which is why a cleaning is not the same thing as a very thorough day of flossing at home.
It is meant for gums that are healthy or only mildly inflamed. If the gums are tender, we work at a pace you can tolerate and say so if what we are seeing is beyond a regular cleaning. Polishing and, when it is useful, fluoride finish the visit. The goal is clean teeth and gums that can stay that way — not a dramatic before-and-after.
Dental X-rays, when they are worth taking
X-rays are not automatic at every visit. They are taken when the information changes a decision: decay between teeth, bone level around the roots, an infection, or a tooth that is not visible in the mouth.
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Bitewings and individual films
These show the spaces between teeth and the bone near the roots. They are the images most people know from a checkup, updated on a schedule that fits your risk of cavities rather than a fixed habit.
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A broader view for a new patient
A first visit often includes a fuller set, so we are not guessing about teeth that have not been imaged in years. If you have recent films from another office, bring them or ask that office to send them. We will not repeat images we do not need.
The visit is also about what happens between appointments
Preventive care is the unglamorous work that keeps treatment small: finding a cavity while it is still a filling, noticing gum inflammation before bone is lost, and talking about brushing, flossing, fluoride, or a night guard if grinding is wearing the teeth down.
Sealants, fluoride, and changes in how you clean at home are recommended when they fit. They are not added to every visit by default. If something hurts, or a tooth has already broken, prevention waits and the problem in front of us gets attention first — including an emergency visit when that is the right door to come through.
A preventive visit often covers
- A look at teeth, gums, bite, and soft tissues
- Cleaning suited to healthy gums or mild gingivitis
- X-rays when they answer a question the exam cannot
- Fluoride when the cavity risk supports it
- A plain explanation of what, if anything, should be treated next
A first exam is a little longer on purpose
If you are new to the practice, the first visit is where we learn the history, not only the tooth that brought you in. Medical history, what has been done before, and what you want from dental care all belong in that conversation. The exam, any needed X-rays, and a cleaning — when a regular cleaning is the right one — give us a baseline.
New patients with healthy gums or mild gingivitis can start with the $79 new patient special: a comprehensive exam, full-mouth X-rays, and a regular cleaning. Periodontal or deep cleaning is not included. If the exam shows that a deeper cleaning is the appropriate visit, we will explain why and review the fee before anything else is scheduled. The offer is a way to begin, not a reason to skip the finding.
A regular cleaning is not a deep cleaning
The names get used loosely. The visits are not interchangeable, and we will not call one by the other to make a plan sound simpler.
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Regular cleaning
For gums that are healthy or only mildly inflamed. Tartar is removed above the gum line and slightly beneath it, and the teeth are polished. This is the cleaning most people mean by a checkup, and the one included in the new patient special when it is clinically appropriate.
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Periodontal, or deep, cleaning
For gum disease, when tartar and inflammation sit deeper and the bone around the teeth is involved. It is usually done by areas of the mouth, often with anesthetic, and it is therapy — not a longer version of a polish. If that is what the exam shows, you will hear it before it is scheduled, including how it differs in time and fee.
Six months is common. It is not a rule for every mouth.
Many people do well with an exam and cleaning about twice a year. That interval is a starting point, not a prescription. Someone with a history of gum disease, a lot of new cavities, or a medical condition that affects the mouth may need to be seen more often. Someone with a long stretch of healthy checkups may not need X-rays on that same rhythm even if the cleaning stays regular.
We will recommend an interval after we have seen you, and we will change it if the next visit says something different. Skipping for years does not mean you have failed at this. It means the first visit back should be an honest look, not a lecture.
If your gums bleed when you brush, that is information, not something to push through. Mention it. Bleeding is one of the signs we use to tell a regular cleaning from care for the gums themselves.
Common Questions About Exams and Cleanings
What is the difference between a dental exam and a cleaning?
The exam is Dr. Wei looking for disease and for changes: cavities, cracks, gum pockets, wear, and anything in the soft tissues that needs attention. The cleaning is the removal of plaque and tartar, followed by polishing. They are usually scheduled together, and they answer different questions. A cleaning without an exam can leave a cavity untouched. An exam without a cleaning leaves the tartar where it was.
How uncomfortable is a teeth cleaning?
A regular cleaning on healthy gums is usually easy to sit through — pressure, vibration, and the taste of polish, more than pain. Gums that are inflamed, or teeth with a lot of buildup, can be tender. Tell us. We can slow down, numb a spot, or stop and talk about whether a regular cleaning is even the right visit.
A deep cleaning for gum disease is a different appointment and is typically numbed. We will not describe that as “just a cleaning” if it is what you need.
How much is a teeth cleaning and exam?
It depends on whether you are new to the office, whether X-rays are due, and whether your gums need a regular cleaning or periodontal therapy. Insurance benefits change the portion you pay. For new patients with healthy gums or mild gingivitis, the current new patient special is $79 for a comprehensive exam, full-mouth X-rays, and a regular cleaning. Deep cleaning is not part of that offer.
If the special does not fit what we find, you will see the recommended visit and its fee before it is scheduled. Patients without insurance can also ask about the membership plan, which includes exams and regular cleanings.
Are dental cleanings actually necessary?
If tartar is forming — and for most people it does — brushing and flossing will not remove it. Left in place, it irritates the gums and makes decay easier to miss. Cleanings are how that gets reset. They are not a moral requirement, and they are not useful on a schedule that ignores gum disease. The necessary part is a visit often enough that problems stay small, which for many adults is about every six months and for some is more frequent.
An exam belongs with that cleaning. The two together are how a loose filling, a cavity between teeth, or early gum changes get found while the fix is still simple.
Visit Sunstone Dental in Richmond, TX
23565 FM 1093, Suite 103Richmond, TX 77406
Exams and cleanings are at the Richmond office on FM 1093, near Grand Parkway.
Start with a visit, not a guess about what you need
Book an exam and cleaning and we’ll look, clean what a regular cleaning should clean, and tell you if something else belongs in the plan.
- Exam and cleaning explained
- X-rays only when useful
- New patient special when it fits
- Written plan if treatment is needed
- No pressure, no obligation