Why You Should Schedule a Teeth Cleaning Appointment

When you visit us for a teeth cleaning, you are taking an important step in ensuring that your oral health remains intact.  Many people mistakenly believe that if they brush and floss their teeth, they will remain in good oral health because they will be removing all of the harmful bacteria and plaque. Unfortunately, this is simply not the case.  Even those that are fastidious about brushing will often leave plaque on their teeth in hard to reach places. This is because you cannot see all of your teeth nor can you reach every spot.  We, however, can.  By performing a dental cleaning, we can reach the places that you cannot so that your teeth are completely clean.

Why does this matter?

When you leave plaque on your teeth, you run the risk of developing cavities. This can lead to uncomfortable toothaches.  You can also develop an infection if your teeth are under attack from plaque. This can create the need for having a root canal, something that is effective yet can be uncomfortable. Gum disease is also a significant problem and one that develops due to the buildup of plaque on teeth underneath your gums.  Dental cleanings allow us to remove this plaque before it becomes trapped so that we can help your gums to remain in good health.  Cleaning your teeth early, means that you can avoid developing gum disease in the first place. Otherwise, we will need to treat your teeth after the fact and the procedure may be more invasive. This is especially true if your gums have started to recede as a result of the condition.  Once they do, we may need to perform a gum graft or other procedure to secure them back around the tooth structure and restore their health.  This requires additional time, and can be uncomfortable. Fortunately, we can help to prevent this condition if you come in soon enough for a teeth cleaning.

Another thing that we can do during your teeth cleaning appointment is to look for signs of oral cancer.  While this cancer is one that most people do not think about, it claims one life every hour.  This is a serious condition that can develop for a variety of reasons including smoking, chewing tobacco, drinking too much alcohol, overexposure to the sun, etc.  While there are certain things you can do to decrease your risk, like stop smoking, cancer can impact everyone.  Some of the common signs are cheeks that are rough, hard lumps and bumps inside of the mouth, red and white bumps and more. If you notice any of these things, come and visit our dental office for a teeth cleaning and dental exam.  If we identify anything that is out of the ordinary, we might biopsy the area so that it can be tested in the dental lab. If there are cancerous cells, we will refer you to an oncologist for further treatment.

During your teeth cleaning, we are focused on your overall oral health. To learn more, call and schedule an appointment.