Everyone knows that brushing your teeth twice a day is part of a good dental hygiene routine, but how often should you be going for a professional clean at your dentist? Read on to find out why professional maintenance of your teeth should be an integral part of your oral health habits.
Good dental care involves far more than regular brushing. Using mouthwash, flossing, and ensuring that you’re scheduling (and attending!) twice-yearly professional check-ups are all important aspects of dental care. At least once every six months, your teeth should be cleaned by your dentist to ensure ongoing excellent oral health.
Let’s Talk About Tartar
Our mouths naturally produce bacteria. These bacteria produce plaque, which forms a sticky film over your teeth and eventually becomes tartar. Tartar is even more of a problem than plaque, as it cannot be removed by brushing at home and must be cleaned by a dental professional.
The first step in this unfortunate series of events is the natural bacteria in your mouth. These bacteria produce acids after you eat or drink – and these acids degrade the enamel on your teeth, causing cavities, decay, and even gum disease. If you run your tongue over your teeth after eating and get a distinct feeling of “fuzziness,” that is plaque. The good news is that plaque can be easily dealt with at home through regular brushing, flossing, and mouthwash use.
However, trouble comes in when that plaque turns to tartar. Like plaque, tartar is acidic and damages the enamel on your teeth, but unlike plaque, tartar can’t be removed at home. This means that once formed, it remains on your teeth and continues to damage your enamel. This can be dangerous, as without that protective enamel coating, your teeth and gums are far more susceptible to decay and infection.
Delaying Your Cleaning Can Be Dangerous
While you may be conscientious about brushing, flossing, and rinsing, those alone aren’t enough to maintain excellent oral health. Your mouth contains some little nooks and crannies between your teeth and at the back of your mouth, which are easily missed when brushing or flossing. These little spots are very vulnerable to developing plaque and tartar, creating a host of problems down the line. Indeed, without professional intervention, these hidden areas of your teeth can suffer immense damage, with the protective layer of enamel being almost destroyed over time. Once gone, it doesn’t come back, so keeping that protective coating safe is important.
Without the protection afforded by your enamel, your teeth and gums are susceptible to all kinds of decay and infection. While a few small cavities may not seem too serious, those cavities can easily become infected – and that is serious. Infections in the teeth are not only painful but can spread to the bloodstream, which is a life-threatening occurrence and requires urgent and immediate medical attention. As if that wasn’t enough, damage to your gums also creates problems. Gingivitis, caused by plaque inflaming the gums, can lead to bad breath in mild cases and periodontitis in more serious cases. Periodontitis is a nasty gum disease that causes the gums to recede from the teeth and can result in damage to the jawbone or even tooth loss. Additionally, periodontitis can increase your risk of developing other health conditions, such as heart disease or diabetes.
How Can We Help?
Our team at My Dental Care @ West End is highly experienced with all aspects of dentistry – which obviously includes cleanings! We will begin the process with a general check of your teeth and gums before moving on to plaque and tartar removal. We will give your teeth a deep clean and an expert flossing to ensure that all those little nooks and crannies that you might miss with your toothbrush are sparkling and free from any build-up of bacteria. Having your teeth professionally cleaned at the dentist isn’t a painful process, but if you’re feeling uncomfortable or nervous, our delightful dental anxiety therapy dog, Molar, will be happy to give you a cuddle and set your mind at ease.
To find out more about our services and treatments, please see here.
To make a booking, please call (07) 3846 2548, or drop us a line here.
