Dental cleanings are an important aspect of maintaining proper oral hygiene. Regular dental cleaning not only keeps your teeth and gums healthy but also allows your dentist to see what’s going on with your teeth so that problems like cavities or gingivitis may be treated early. We, in Orem Utah, recommend that people visit the dentist at least once every six months. You may keep your teeth and gums in good health and avoid significant dental issues between visits by seeing your dentist every six months for a dental cleaning.
Why dental cleaning visits are important:
If your dental health is important to you and you want to keep your smile bright, you probably already know how important it is to see the dentist regularly to get your teeth cleaned. However, if you’ve never had a dental cleaning or are unsure if dental cleanings should be a top priority, consider the following advantages of having your teeth cleaned twice a year:
Preventing Cavities
The prevention of cavities is one of the most obvious reasons why people see the dentist regularly for check-ups and cleanings. After all, getting a cleaning is significantly less expensive than filling a cavity or having a root canal. Cleaning your teeth is also a lot more enjoyable than having dental cavities filled.
Preventing Tooth Loss
Gum disease is a severe problem that has to be addressed. Plaque builds up on the teeth, which is the beginning of the problem. Plaque flows down into the tooth as gum disease advances, destroying supporting bone structures in the jaw. Teeth become loose and begin to fall out as a result of this. Dental cleanings significantly minimize the likelihood of a patient losing teeth due to gum disease.
Keeping Your Breath Clean
Dental cleaning aids in the management of the germs in the mouth that cause foul breath. While brushing and flossing the teeth daily can help keep the breath fresh, a professional dental cleaning every six months is also necessary to keep the mouth odor-free.
Conserve funds
Because some dental insurance plans have minimal or no co-payments for dental cleanings and oral examinations, scheduling frequent cleanings can save you a lot of money. Even if your insurance doesn’t cover dental cleanings, individuals generally find that going to the dentist regularly reduces their chances of needing expensive operations later on.
Make Your Smile Shine
Patients who have frequent dental cleanings have whiter, brighter teeth with fewer stains and considerably less plaque and tartar, regardless of the financial benefits.
Improve Your Overall Health
The state of your teeth and gums has a significant influence on your overall health. After all, the roots of your teeth are close to your sinus and brain canals. An infection in a tooth can have major effects on your health. Regular dental check-ups and cleanings, on the other hand, can improve your general health and help you avoid significant health problems down the line.
What happens during dental cleaning visits?
A dental cleaning appointment usually consists of two parts: an oral examination and a cleaning. The dentist will examine your teeth for cavities throughout the examination. X-rays may be used in rare circumstances to detect cavities between the teeth. The dentist will also examine the teeth for signs of gum disease, plaque, and tartar.
The Examination
Aside from cavities, the dentist searches for numerous other things during a dental cleaning. Plaque and tartar, gum disease, and cancer markers are all important components of dental cleaning.
Plaque and Tartar
Plaque is a visible, sticky film of bacterial colonies that forms on the teeth. If you don’t get rid of the sticky stuff, it will harden and turn into tartar. Brushing and flossing have little effect on tartar. Tartar can only be removed by a dentist, and once it has built upon the teeth, the patient is vulnerable to several oral disorders.
Gum Disease
We constantly assess our patients for gum disease because healthy gums are the basis for good teeth. We utilize a piece of unique equipment to measure the depth of the gap between your gums and teeth to assess your gum health. Gums with healthy gums have shallower gaps, but those with gum disease have larger spaces. Early detection of gum disease can help to avoid the onset of more significant dental problems.
Diseases of the Tongue, Throat, and Neck
Another vital aspect of a dental cleaning appointment is a thorough inspection of the tongue, throat, face, neck, and head. This phase of the exam searches for signs of cancer such as redness, inflammation, or tissue abnormalities. We take this aspect of the visit extremely seriously since detecting sick tissue at an early stage might be the difference between life and death for our patients.
The Dental Cleaning
Brushing and flossing the teeth at home is vital for proper dental health, but tartar is impossible to remove once it has formed on the teeth. So, during a typical dental cleaning, the dentist will “scale” the teeth with a specific metal tool to remove the tartar and plaque.
Following the removal of tartar and plaque, the dentist or an assistant may polish the teeth with a gritty paste and a polishing tool to eliminate surface stains and brighten your smile. The dental expert will floss the teeth after the surface of the teeth has been polished to ensure that all spaces between the teeth are clean.
Between Dental Cleanings
We urge our customers to maintain their teeth clean in between dental treatments. Brushing and flossing are essential for maintaining a healthy set of teeth. We recommend that patients wash their teeth with a fluoride toothpaste at least twice a day. Make time to floss at least once a day and use a mouthwash to reduce the formation of plaque-causing germs. Mouthwash will also make your breath smell better!
