Brushing and flossing are definitely essential for good dental health. However, proper oral care requires you to go beyond your bathroom sink. Regular dental cleaning appointments are essential to remove tartar buildup, reduce your risk of gum disease, and ensure your teeth stay cavity-free. But that begs the question: how often do you really need to have your teeth cleaned?
The Ideal Cleaning Schedule
Most patients should see their dentist for a professional cleaning and a checkup every 6 months, or in other words, twice a year. We suggest always scheduling your next appointment while you’re here for a visit. This way, you’ll have it in your calendar and can more easily plan around it.
There are some patients who need dental cleanings more often. If your dentist thinks you’d benefit from more frequent cleanings, they’ll let you know.
You may want to talk to your dentist about more frequent cleanings if you fall into one of the following categories:
- You have a history of gum disease or gingivitis.
- You’re prone to cavities or tooth decay.
- You’ve had dental restorations, such as inlays or a crown.
- You have physical limitations that make it more difficult for you to brush and floss thoroughly.
Not everyone in these categories needs to see the dentist more frequently than every 6 months. However, it’s worth having a conversation with your dentist or hygienist. If they feel you could benefit from more frequent cleanings, following their advice will likely help you avoid gum disease, tooth decay, and other oral health concerns as you age.
The Importance of Dental Cleanings
To understand why preventative dental care is so important, you first need to understand the relationship between oral bacteria, plaque, and tartar.
From Plaque to Tartar
Everyone has oral bacteria in their mouth. These bacteria feed on sugars, and they release acids. It’s those acids that eat away at tooth enamel, leading to tooth decay or cavities.
When you haven’t brushed your teeth in a while, you’ll often notice a sticky, slimy film building up on your teeth. That film is called plaque. It’s a mixture of oral bacteria, sugar, bacterial secretions, saliva, and other remnants of the food you’ve eaten. Plaque is sticky. So, it’s in constant contact with your teeth and gums. The longer it sits there, the more time it has to contribute to decay and gum disease. (Gum disease is an infection of your gums with certain oral bacteria.)
Luckily, you can remove plaque pretty easily by brushing your teeth. But if you don’t brush your teeth, or if your dental hygiene schedule is sporadic, that plaque will eventually harden into a different substance called tartar. Tartar is much more stubborn than plaque. It won’t just brush away. And yet, since it contains all those oral bacteria and acids, its presence puts you at risk for decay and gum disease.
So, how do you remove tartar? You guessed it: you go to the dentist!
Removing Tartar
During a professional dental cleaning, your hygienist will focus on removing tartar from your teeth. They use a variety of tools to accomplish this task. Traditionally, hygienists used metal tools, called scalers. Today, many dental hygienists also use sonic and ultrasonic scalers to more thoroughly remove tartar buildup using water and high-frequency sound waves.
Even if you’re a really effective brusher, there are probably a few spots you miss. You may have some tartar buildup along your gumline or between certain molars in the back of your mouth. Your dental hygienist will remove this buildup. They’ll also tell you where the buildup is, so you can use that feedback to improve your brushing technique at home.
Late for a Cleaning?
Have you fallen behind on your dental cleaning schedule? You’re not alone. Life gets busy sometimes, and you may have to delay or reschedule an appointment or two. Or maybe you recently moved, and you haven’t yet found a dental office in your new town.
These situations are very common, and there’s no need to feel embarrassed if you’re in one of them. The worst thing you can do is put off your dental cleaning even longer because you’re embarrassed to admit you’re behind. Dentists, hygienists, and their staff do not judge; we’re happy to help you get back on track!
We also see a lot of patients who struggle with dental anxiety. Dental anxiety is real, and it can keep you from seeking the care you need and deserve. At Orange City Modern Dentistry, we aim to make every patient’s experience as comfortable and stress-free as possible. If you let us know you’re feeling anxious, we can take extra steps to calm your nerves, make your cleaning more comfortable, and ensure a better experience all around.
Whether it’s been a year, two years, or ten years since your last cleaning, the best time to schedule a visit is today.
The Risks of Falling Behind
Why do we encourage patients to have cleaning appointments so frequently? At the end of the day, it makes things easier on you. When you fall behind on dental cleanings, you increase your risk of dental problems, such as tooth decay and gum disease. Remember – tartar builds up quickly, and the longer you let it be, the more damage it causes.
We want to see you more often to help you avoid more intensive, expensive treatments! For example, when gum disease is in its early stages, we can usually treat it with antiseptic mouthwash and a more thorough brushing technique. However, if gum disease is allowed to worsen for a year or two, you might need antibiotics and a more intensive cleaning procedure called root scaling and planing. We’d rather help you avoid that, if we can.
The same goes for cavities. If we find a tiny one at your 6-month visit, we can easily fill it. If the cavity is allowed to grow, you may need a larger inlay or even a crown. Additionally, tooth decay has been linked to a number of other health problems, including heart disease, making dental care essential for long-term, full-body health.
Keep in mind that we also do checkups during cleaning appointments. As your dentist and hygienist examine your mouth, they’re looking for early signs of more serious conditions like oral cancer. Early detection is the key to effective treatment, and a 6-month dental checkup frequency allows for earlier detection. That’s why, when it comes to checkups and teeth cleaning, Orange City Modern Dentistry takes things seriously.
Signs It’s Time for a Cleaning
While scheduling every 6 months is a good starting point, there are also some signs that indicate you should schedule a cleaning:
- You’ve noticed a hard, yellow buildup along your gumline; this is likely tartar.
- Your gums have been sore, pink, and prone to bleeding. These are early signs of gum disease.
- You have persistent bad breath.
- Your teeth feel sensitive to hot or cold foods or beverages.
If you do notice any of these signs and you’re looking for a dentist Deltona residents can count on, please don’t hesitate to call Orange City Modern Dentistry. We take a patient-friendly approach, and we’re happy to help you get back on track with preventative dental care.