Why Are Regular Teeth Cleanings Important?
The American Dental Association (ADA) recommends teeth cleanings once every six months, but why? If you are an inquisitive person, you have probably wondered what the benefits of regular dental visits really are. You will find that biannual oral check-ups are not only recommended but absolutely necessary if you want to avoid gum disease and tooth decay! Take a look.
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1. You Need Help Staying on Top of Your Plaque
A little known fact is that the average person cannot stay on top of their oral hygiene with a toothbrush, floss, and mouthwash alone. Your dentist has probably told you to brush your teeth twice and floss once daily. The purpose of this regular cleaning is to keep plaque at bay, but it is not a perfect solution.
Plaque is the sticky film created by food and saliva that contains bacteria and builds up in your mouth after you eat. If any plaque is missed during your oral hygiene routine, it can harden and become tartar, which cannot be removed by brush or floss. It is impossible to perfectly clean your mouth of all plaque each day without professional tools and training, which means even the most devout brusher and flosser will have some tartar on their teeth that needs cleaning every so often. The American Dental Association has determined that biannual oral check-ups are adequate for the removal of tartar before it becomes a more serious issue. Plaque and tartar can lead to gum disease and tooth decay, making it absolutely important for the health of your teeth and gums to get regular teeth cleanings!
2. Your Oral Hygiene May Need To Be Adjusted
At a regular teeth cleaning, your dentist will look at the levels of plaque and tartar on your teeth and also the location of the build-up. He or she may recommend more frequent brushing or flossing, more focus on regularly cleaning a particular part of your mouth, or perhaps more frequent check-ups depending on what they see.
It is better to make the minor adjustments needed to improve your oral health now rather than waiting until small issues turn into big problems! Your dentist can help you identify those minor adjustments at a biannual check-up.
3. Teeth Cleanings Can Prevent Gum Disease & Tooth Decay
The last two points make this quite clear but it deserves repeating. Regular teeth cleanings allow your dentist to manage your plaque and tartar so that it does not turn into gum disease or tooth decay!
4. Your Dentist Can Check for Damage
Your teeth are not invincible. In addition to decay, they can incur damage such as broken fillings or fractures. Your dentist can identify early signs of these issues at a regular teeth cleaning and intervene before they become much larger issues that require costly procedures.
5. Teeth Cleanings Make Your Teeth Whiter
This point is less important from a health perspective but still a valuable reason to get regular teeth cleanings! At a biannual check-up, your dentist will not only remove the plaque and tartar from your teeth, but also polish and remove the surface stains from your teeth that you get from food and beverages.
When was the last time you got a regular teeth cleaning? At South Anchorage Dental Center, we're making it as easy as possible for our patients to afford biannual check-ups by offering 50% off through our Dental Savings Plan. Contact us to sign-up and schedule an appointment today!
