3 Reasons Why Teeth Cleanings Are Good for Your Smile
We understand, visiting our Washington, MI, dentists for a teeth cleaning is not number one on your list of fun things to do. But while it isn’t “fun”, it is necessary if you want a healthy smile. In fact, we urge all of our patients to receive a every 6 months to have plaque removed and to keep any arising oral health concerns in check.
Here’s why you’ll want to schedule your next dental cleaning appointment if you haven’t already.
Having Your Teeth Professionally Cleaned Can:
1) Help You Get In Front of Gum Disease
In the case of , symptoms can often go overlooked. It is only when those early signs start to show themselves in the form of puffy, red, and swollen gums that patients take notice.
Now, our local family dentists hope to not find a gum infection when we examine your mouth but if we do, our goal is to stop it before it progresses. If gingivitis is left alone, it can turn into advanced gum disease, or periodontitis, which is a serious and chronic condition that can cause tooth loss.
Read More → How to Floss for Healthier Gums & Teeth
Unfortunately, periodontitis is not reversible but it can be managed with a procedure known as scaling and root planing. This deep clean is performed to remove plaque, tartar, and bacteria that has accumulated in pockets between your gums and teeth.
For the best prevention, our dentists recommend two teeth cleanings each year (or more depending on your needs) paired with a good oral hygiene routine at home. This combination will greatly cut down on your risk of developing gum disease.
2) Remove More Plaque and Tartar Than At-Home Tools
Brushing your teeth at least twice a day and flossing daily can do wonders for your teeth and gums. However, even these useful tools are not perfect at removing everything. Specifically once plaque hardens into tartar, it’s difficult to get rid of on your own.
In place of a toothbrush, one of our dental hygienists will use a scaler to carefully and gently scrape away the stubborn tartar from your teeth. This tool has a fine point at the end that is able to reach in between teeth and along the gum line which makes for easy work.
Don’t worry though, despite how the scraping may sound you should feel no pain during your dental cleaning. More tartar will result in more scraping so if you’d like to hear less of it, be sure to brush and floss well at home!
3) Possibly Detect Oral Health Issues Early
Sometimes you might not even know what’s going on with your smile until our dentists or hygienists take a look. For instance, small cavities often fly under the radar due to the fact that they rarely cause symptoms until the decay sets in further.
Learn More → Why It’s Bad to Wait to Fill Cavities
Avoid complications and prevent an unwanted dental emergency later on with regular care from our dentists every 6 months. We’ll be sure to let you know through visual observation, X-rays, and physical examination if anything is of concern before it worsens.
Schedule Your Next Cleaning Today
Our , are accepting new patients! If you or a family member are ready to receive a cleaning, we are happy to help promote good oral health. Call Romeo Family Dentistry today at (586) 752-3589 to request an appointment.
This blog post has been updated.