6 things a dental cleaning can do for you:
1. Prevent Dental Cavities
Have you ever noticed a whitish film or substance over your teeth? It usually happens if you haven’t brushed your teeth in a day or two. Well, that whitish substance is called plaque, and it leads to bacterial decay and cavities. Plaque is an acidic substance that increases bacterial presence in your mouth and eats away at your enamel, i.e., the outer layer of your teeth. Dental cleanings remove all the plaque, preventing dental cavities and tooth decay.
2. Preserve Your Teeth
The accumulation of plaque around the gum line eventually leads to gum recession, as the teeth are pulled apart from the gums. As the plaque and bacterial decay eat away at the bone structures around the teeth, they weaken dental surfaces. Over time, your tooth loosens and falls out — in some cases, the tooth has to be extracted because it’s infected and might harm the surrounding teeth. However, dental cleaning can prevent the loss of teeth.
3. Improve Your Smile
Over time, your teeth start looking yellow and discolored due to years of drinking wine, coffee, tea, smoking, and other surface stains. Regardless of how well you brush your teeth, these stains get lodged within the pores of your enamel, leading to a discolored appearance. However, teeth cleaning involves using a special scrubbing substance to brush your teeth. The procedure removes years of stains from your enamel, giving you a brighter and better smile.
4. Give You a Fresh Breath
The best way to prevent bad breath or halitosis (persistent bad breath) is dental cleaning. No matter how well you brush and floss your teeth, you can’t remove all the accumulated food particles from the deep recesses of your teeth, which leads to plaque and tartar accumulation, which, in turn, leads to bacterial accumulation. As such, the presence of plaque, tartar, and bacteria release a foul and ever-present odor that you can’t get rid of, no matter how much you rinse your mouth. However, dental cleaning removes all the plaque, tartar, and bacteria, giving you a fresh breath.
5. Improve Overall Health
Most people don’t realize that dental/oral health is inextricably linked to overall health. If left untreated, bacterial accumulation in your teeth may eventually enter your bloodstream and increase your risk of heart disease, liver problems, strokes, etc. Improving your oral health dramatically reduces the risk of numerous overall health problems, many of them life-threatening problems.
What are the types of dental cleaning?
1. Prophylaxis Dental Cleaning
Prophylaxis dental cleaning is usually only referred to as “dental cleaning” or “professional teeth cleaning.” This is a preventative dental cleaning usually scheduled for once or twice a year, and its goal is to prevent gum disease or dental cavities. This type of dental cleaning removes the plaque and tartar from your teeth to prevent gum disease from occurring.
2. Periodontal Scaling and Root Planing Cleaning
Periodontal scaling and root planing cleaning is also known as “dental deep cleaning.” This type of dental cleaning is necessary if you have gingivitis or periodontitis, i.e., if you have excessive bacterial infection, usually if you’ve neglected regular dental cleanings. During a dental deep cleaning, the dentist removes the accumulated plaque and tartar from your roots and smoothens the dental surface.
3. Gross Debridement Cleaning
Gross debridement cleaning is the most intensive type of dental cleaning, usually necessary if you have excessive hardened tartar and bacteria. This type of dental cleaning involves using specialized electric tools to remove all the accumulated tartar from your gum pockets to restore optimal oral health.
H2. Why is it important to get dental cleaning?
Regular dental cleaning is important because it’s the only way to ensure you don’t get severe gum disease or dental cavities, both of which need serious dental treatments or even dental extraction. No matter how well you brush, floss, and rinse your teeth, you can’t remove all the small food particles stuck in the deep recesses of your teeth. Over time, the accumulated food particles turn into plaque and tartar, leading to excessive bacterial accumulation. The accumulation of plaque, tartar, and bacteria leads to gum inflammation and dental cavities if left untreated. Regular dental cleanings are necessary because they remove the accumulated plaque and tartar before experiencing severe dental problems, such as gum disease and cavities.
What happens during professional teeth cleaning?
During professional teeth cleaning, the dental hygienist looks for signs and symptoms of gum disease and dental cavities. They use a special device called a scalar to scrape off all the accumulated plaque and tartar from your teeth and gums. After removing the accumulated plaque and tartar, the dental hygienist uses a special gritty toothpaste to scrub the surfaces of your teeth. They also floss and rinse your mouth. Next, the dental hygienist applies a fluoride treatment over your teeth to protect them from future dental decay, at least for a few months.
What happens if you never get your teeth cleaned?
If you never get your teeth cleaned, the accumulated plaque and tartar will lead to greater bacterial colonization. Eventually, the bacteria will spread into your gum pockets and widen the gap between your gums and teeth, leading to loose teeth. The bacteria may also lead to dental cavities and eventually rot your teeth. Over time, you’ll need serious dental treatments, like root planing or root canal treatments, or lose your teeth.
How long should a dental cleaning take?
The dental cleaning process usually concludes within 30 minutes.
How often should you go to the dentist for a cleaning?
You should go for two dental cleanings per year, once every six months. However, your dentist might provide a specific frequency based on your individual oral hygiene habits and overview.
Schedule your dental cleaning procedure today.
Sapphire Smiles is one of the best dental clinics for regular oral health maintenance in Yale, Houston, TX. For more information, please schedule your dental cleaning procedure today or call (832) 409-0400.
