The Many Teeth Cleaning Benefits
The American Dental Association recommends seeing your dental hygienist for a dental cleaning at least every 6 months. Unfortunately, over 35% of adults haven’t had a dental visit in the past year. The mouth is the gateway to the body and there are so many teeth cleaning benefits that can keep your teeth and body healthy.
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Parts Of A Dental Cleaning
There are so many teeth cleaning benefits that keep your smile healthy and strong. A dental cleaning consists of several services to improve your oral health and fight off harmful bacteria. Here are a few things that happen during a dental cleaning:
- Intra-Extra Oral Exam: A thorough exam to screen and monitor for any abnormalities of the head, neck, and mouth.
- Dental Probing: Using a small instrument with a ruler at the end, your dental professional will measure the gum pockets. This is routinely done around once a year to keep an eye on the gum tissue and bone level.
- X-rays: X-rays help diagnose cavities, evaluate the bone level, check for any abnormalities, and see any plaque buildup called calculus (tartar).
- Prophylaxis: A prophylaxis is the name for the procedure of cleaning the teeth. Your skillful dental hygienist will use a combination of ultrasonic and hand instruments to remove food, plaque, and bacteria from the tooth’s surface and gum pockets.
- Dentist’s Exam: Working with the dental hygienist, the dentist will evaluate your oral health and diagnose accordingly.
Types Of Dental Cleanings
Your skillful dental hygienist will use a combination of ultrasonic and hand instruments to remove food, plaque, and bacteria from the tooth’s surface and gum pockets. Dental cleanings help prevent gum disease and cavities while keeping your teeth strong and healthy.
- Prophylaxis: This is a routine dental cleaning that is done every 6 months. Adult dental cleanings usually take around 45-60 minutes while children will only need around 30 minutes.
- Full-Mouth Debridement: Without professional dental cleanings, plaque and bacteria will build up in the form of calculus (hardened plaque). This type of cleaning is done when there is too much bleeding and calculus to be removed at one time.
- Fine Scaling: This is part two after a gross debridement and is similar to routine prophylaxis. It will remove any plaque and calculus left over after the gums have a chance to heal and expose what is left to be cleaned.
- Scaling and Root Planing: Patients with gum disease and bone loss will need a more involved cleaning. A deep cleaning will remove the plaque, calculus, and bacteria above and below the gumline.
- Perio Maintenance: After scaling and root planing, patients with gum disease will need more frequent cleanings. The destructive bacteria need to be stabilized every 3-4 months through maintenance cleanings.
Our Guide to Treating Gum Disease has additional information on the disease and the different cleanings involved.
Teeth Cleaning Benefits
The toothbrush and floss work great together to clean your teeth from day to day. Working with your dental hygienist for a professional dental cleaning will clean off what you can’t get off at home and keep your smile strong. The teeth cleaning benefits that come with a professional dental cleaning include:
- Remove plaque, hardened plaque (calculus), and bacteria from deep in the gum pockets where the toothbrush and floss can’t reach.
- Reduces your risk for cavities, gum disease, and tooth loss.
- Remove stains on the teeth from foods and beverages to help keep your teeth white.
- Screened for oral diseases such as cancer, lichen planus, and HPV.
- Helps prevent bad breath
- Improves your overall health and reduces the risk of systemic diseases.
Importance of Oral Health
The whole body is connected which makes it even more important to find stability in your oral health. Prioritizing a healthy mouth can impact several systemic diseases and help attain stability improving overall health. One of the teeth cleaning benefits is reducing the risk of:
- Diabetes: Gum disease (periodontal disease) makes it harder for patients to control blood sugar. Improper wound healing increases the risk of infections including gingivitis. Learn more with our article Diabetes and Oral Health.
- Heart Disease: Inflammation and infections from bacteria in the mouth have access to the bloodstream and throughout the body.
- Cancer: Aggressive bacteria in the mouth can enter the bloodstream and aid in abnormal cell growth.
- Rheumatoid Arthritis: Bacteria causes inflammation in the mouth that can trigger an inflammatory response in the body exacerbating the disease.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is it important to get your teeth cleaned?
When it comes to your health, prevention is key to keeping the body strong and reducing the risk of diseases. Professional dental cleanings will help reduce your risk of dental problems that may cost a lot. Getting the teeth cleaned at least every 6 months is key to keeping your mouth healthy.
Do teeth cleanings hurt?
Professional dental cleanings will not hurt a healthy smile. If your gums are inflamed and cavities are present, you may feel some sensitivity. Dental cleanings are key to improving your oral health. Express your concerns with your dental hygienist so they are able to make you as comfortable as possible.
For more information on sensitivity with dental cleanings, check out our article Avoiding a Sensitive Tooth After A Cleaning.
Take Home Smile Store
Visit our Take Home Smile store for educational brochures and other fun printables to help with oral hygiene. All products can be customized to fit your dental needs.
I’m delighted you mentioned that getting regular professional dental cleanings can lower your risk of developing expensive dental issues. Investing in one appears like a smart move because it can assist maintain the health of your mouth. I’ll be sure to remind my friends and family about this and to look into dental services that may be of assistance to us.