Significance of Regular Dental Cleanings

Despite your efforts to maintain good oral hygiene, you might not reach some site in your mouth. In such a case, plaque and tartar accumulate on the surfaces between your teeth. Once plaque accumulates, it encourages the growth of bacteria, causing tooth decay. Therefore, the bacteria impacts negatively on your oral health.

Regular teeth cleanings play a significant role in your preventive dental care routine and maintaining your teeth and gums healthy. Here at Brookstone Dental care, we are firm believers in preventive dental care. Our dentists and hygienists are experienced and recommend dental cleanings at least twice a year.

What Is the Significance of Getting Your Teeth Cleaned Professionally?

Your regular oral hygiene routine, which most likely involves brushing twice daily and flossing once, is not enough to make your teeth clean. The significant benefits of regular dental cleanings include:

Removes Plaque

Your routine oral hygiene practices are meant to get rid of food particles, bacteria, sugars, and starches that are left behind after eating. Brushing and flossing can’t get rid of plaque since plaque is a sticky build up around the gum that develops after bacteria multiply.

Plaque eats up your enamel gradually, causing tooth decay. Tooth decay leads to dental cavities and gum diseases. Once infections develop in your gums, they might lead to other general health issues such as stroke and cardiac attacks.

Unfortunately, you can’t eliminate plaque through home-based oral hygiene. Therefore, you should consider calling a dentist that offers teeth cleaning near you. The dentist will use a tool known as a scaler to remove plaque from your teeth and aid in the prevention of potential dental issues.

Detect Oral Cancer

Oral cancer is fatal in its terminal stages. However, in its terminal stages, an oral surgeon or oncologist can treat it.

With regular oral cleanings, your dentist can detect signs of oral cancer. Some of the symptoms of oral cancer include:

• Mouth sores
• Pain that does not go away

The ones above are the warning signs in its initial stages. Other symptoms include:

• Swelling and lumps on your neck
• Swallowing difficulties
• Bad breath
• Trouble when moving your jaws
• Loss of weight

Once the dentist detects the signs above, he or she will recommend an oncologist. The oncologist can conduct diagnosis through biopsy or clinical presentations. Once the oncologist confirms it is oral cancer, he or she will develop a treatment plan for you.

Detects Potential Dental Issues

You are still likely to develop dental problems despite practicing good oral hygiene. Several concerns include bleeding gums, cavities, and degeneration of the jawbone. However, once you undergo treatments for the issues, they will not drastically impact on your dental health. The more you leave an issue untreated, the more the issue progresses, causing tooth loss.

During a dental cleaning, your dentist in Phoenix or oral hygienist will detect signs of tooth decay, cavities, or gum recession. He will then recommend a treatment plan for each issue to avoid further complications.

Apart from preventing dental issues, cleanings serve a cosmetic purpose since they prevent tooth staining and discoloration.

What to Expect During Dental Cleanings in Phoenix

During a dental cleaning procedure, your dentist or oral hygienist will carry out the following steps:

Physical Examination

Before the actual cleaning, your dentist will carry out a physical exam on the entire mouth. The dental hygienist uses a small mirror to check around your teeth for any signs of gum inflammation or other potential issues. If he or she detects any problems, the oral hygienist can call your dentist for treatment.

Plaque and Tartar Removal

Your oral hygienist uses a small mirror to guide him or her. Using a scaler, the dentist gets rid of plaque and tartar from the gum line and between your teeth. After the hygienist removes plaque and tartar, he will use a high powered electric toothbrush to eliminate any tartar that the scaler left behind.

Expert Flossing

The oral hygienist can use dental floss to reach the areas you might not reach while flossing on your own. The procedure can also help remove plaque leftovers from your teeth.

Rinsing

Your oral hygienist will require you to rinse your mouth, to eliminate any debris. He or she will then recommend a rinse that contains fluoride, to restore fluoride deposits eliminated during scaling.