How Often Should You Have Your Teeth Cleaned by a Dentist?
You might maintain good oral hygiene care practices as recommended by your dentist in Forty Fort, PA to prevent dental problems from developing in your mouth. However you aware despite following the protocols, you remain susceptible to cavities?
Following the recommendations of your dentist to brush your teeth twice per day and floss them at least once to eliminate plaque buildup over your teeth doesn’t guarantee you will succeed entirely. Unfortunately, some plaque remains in your mouth and hardens into tartar within 48 hours. Tartar is challenging to clean by brushing and needs help from a dental professional.
Leaving the hardened tartar on your teeth allows your mouth bacteria to thrive, putting you at risk of tooth decay. Therefore the best way to eliminate tartar formation from over your teeth is to get teeth scaling from the dentist in Forty Fort, PA nearby offering these services.
How Often Should You Visit Dentists for Cleanings?
You must visit the dentist near you for dental exams and cleanings in Forty Fort, PA, at least once every year. During the visit, the dental professional checks whether your teeth are healthy or need treatments for issues like cavities and gum disease. Yearly visits are recommended for people who maintain excellent dental hygiene practices without any problems in their mouths. However, the frequency of the visits changes to six months for most people to ensure plaque buildup doesn’t cause any issues in their mouths.
When you visit your dentist for exams and cleanings, the dentist inquiries into your medical history and considers your overall health to determine whether you have any chronic illnesses like heart conditions or diabetes having a proven link to dental problems and complications.
What Happens During Your Visit to the Dentist?
When you arrive for your appointment to receive teeth cleaning, your dentist performs a thorough oral exam using dental mirrors to determine the condition of your teeth. The tiny mirrors dentists use help them visualize the back of your teeth and other parts that aren’t easily accessible without specialized tools. The examination enables the dentist to detect whether any problems exist that need addressing.
After your dental exam, your forty fort dentist recommends dental x-rays to view anomalies not visible to the naked eye. Dentists can spot problems that exist below the surface of your gums and teeth and offer treatments if they detect any issues. Depending on your unique situation, dental x-rays may become necessary every time you visit the dentist.
The Dental Cleaning Procedure
The dental cleaning procedure starts after the dentist has examined your mouth and is usually performed by a dental hygienist. Your hygienist will use tiny tools like mirrors and scalers to remove plaque and tartar on your teeth and below the gum line. You will likely hear scraping sounds as the hygienist gives you teeth scaling. However, as you cannot remove tartar by brushing, the scraping by the hygienist is the sole remedy available to eliminate hardened tartar and plaque from over your teeth.
Plaque and tartar are the leading causes of gum disease and are best removed before the infection makes its presence felt to cause various complications you would rather be without. After removing plaque and tartar, the hygienist proceeds to polish your teeth with an electric toothbrush and gritty toothpaste. You might not like the scraping sounds of the toothbrush, but polishing is an excellent method of removing excess plaque from between your teeth and removing stains on them.
Finally, the hygienist requests you rinse your mouth and receive a fluoride treatment to battle against cavities for several months after your teeth cleaning.
At the end of your appointment, your forty fort dentist discusses your oral hygiene regimen and recommends any changes that you must incorporate. They might also suggest dietary changes to ensure you become less susceptible to dental health problems.
You might brush your teeth diligently and floss them, but you can never get to the difficult-to-reach areas of your mouth where plaque and bacteria tend to remain and cause problems you never expected. For example, a speck of plaque remaining between your teeth hardens into tartar and begins spreading in your mouth. Therefore the optimal technique to keep your teeth and oral health in prime condition is to receive teeth cleanings every six months. The cleanings will likely not cost you anything besides some time, especially if you have dental insurance as they are covered by insurers. However, not having teeth cleanings exposes you to unnecessary problems that might affect your overall health.
If you haven’t had your teeth cleaned over the last year, we suggest you schedule an appointment with NEPA Dental West to receive your dental exam and teeth cleaning and schedule further appointments every six months to receive this preventive treatment.