Many people wonder if routine dental cleanings are necessary. The short answer is a resounding yes! Just as an annual physical is essential to your well-being, regular preventive dental care is critical to the health of your smile. Here's all you need to know about professional cleanings and what you can expect in your next dental appointment.

How Often Should You Have Your Teeth Cleaned?

The frequency of your routine cleanings will depend on your unique needs. According to the American Dental Association, the schedule of your dental checkups and cleanings should be determined by your dentist. Most dental professionals recommend twice-a-year visits for patients with healthy teeth and gums. If, however, you have signs of gum disease or are at risk of developing dental problems, you may require more frequent dental care.

Dental Cleanings

The Importance of Preventive Dental Care

Brushing and flossing enhance your oral health by removing food debris, plaque, and bacteria that cause tooth decay and gum disease. However, it's not always easy to clean those hard-to-reach areas between your teeth and at the back of the mouth. If not removed, plaque can harden to tartar, which can only be removed by a dental professional.

Here are some benefits of dental cleanings:

Your hygienist will remove most of the stains that dull and discolor your teeth, leaving you with a brighter, whiter smile.
Dental cleanings lower the risk of tooth decay, which, if not treated, will continue to advance and may need involved treatments such as root canal therapy.
Regular teeth cleanings remove plaque and tartar buildup from your gumline, lowering the risk of gum disease, which is today’s leading cause of tooth loss in adults.
Lowering the risk of gum disease will reflect on your overall health because the progressive condition has been linked to serious health conditions, including diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, and respiratory problems.
Your routine cleanings offer an excellent opportunity to uncover early signs of dental health problems such as tooth decay, broken fillings, or tooth fractures.

Prophylaxis Dental Cleaning

Prophylaxis means preventing disease. Regular or prophylaxis dental cleanings are used to clean healthy teeth to prevent tooth decay, cavities, and gum disease. During your cleaning appointment, our dental team will remove plaque and tartar buildup from between your teeth and the gum line using an instrument called a dental scaler. Next is flossing between your teeth and using a special polisher to remove stains from the surfaces of your teeth.

Most of our patients who maintain daily dental hygiene and twice-a-year dental appointments only require prophylaxis cleaning. However, if you have gum disease, Dr. Price may recommend another type of cleaning, a procedure known as deep cleaning or scaling and root planing.

Scaling and Root Planing

Scaling is similar to having a prophylaxis cleaning and involves removing all the plaque and tartar above and below the gum line. Next is root planing, which involves smoothing out the tooth roots to help your gums heal and reattach to your teeth. Depending on the severity of the condition, scaling and root planing may take more than one visit to complete.