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Dental Cleanings: What Are the Benefits?
Routine dental cleanings are essential for long lasting oral health. Our experts explain what makes dental cleanings so important here.
Dentists recommend dental cleanings every six months. Yet, only 63% of adults visited a dentist last year.
A dental cleaning is much deeper than the cleanings you perform at home through brushing and flossing. As a result, getting regular cleanings can help you prevent problems.
If you want healthy teeth, you should visit an appointment. If you think you don't need one, you might want to think twice.
Continue reading to learn more about the benefits of visiting a
dentist in Hollywood, FL, for a dental cleaning.
Improves Tooth Color
Routine dental cleanings involve multiple steps, but all the steps help your teeth become cleaner. As a result, you'll notice an improvement in your tooth color, which is one of the top benefits of dental cleanings.
Teeth tend to lose their white color over time, and this happens for several reasons. First, the things you eat can discolor your teeth.
Secondly, plaque develops on your teeth from the things you eat.
When plaque remains on the teeth for too long, it hardens, creating a substance called tartar. A dentist removes tartar buildup during routine cleanings. They also remove the plaque.
They do this in two primary ways. First, they might scrape it off. Secondly, they might use high-pressured water to remove it.
Your teeth will look whiter after removing the plaque and tartar.
Reduces the Risk of Cavities
As you probably know, plaque on your teeth causes cavities. Therefore, to reduce your risk of cavities, you must eliminate the plaque.
Fortunately, a dentist in Hollywood, FL, removes the plaque during your cleanings, leaving you with a lower chance of developing cavities.
Cavities eat away at teeth, but they're not easy to spot when they initially form. However, a dentist can spot them by examining your teeth and taking x-rays.
Many dentists use digital x-rays to find cavities and other problems. Digital x-rays help dentists see the areas between your teeth, but that's not all. They also show the dentist your tooth roots and jawbone.
If you develop cavities on your teeth and don't detect them immediately, they will spread. For example, a small cavity can turn into a large cavity. A cavity can also work into your tooth roots, causing an infection.
Protects You From Gingivitis
Additionally, plaque on your teeth can get inside your gum pockets. The gum pockets are the areas where your teeth meet your gums. These pockets should be small. However, the areas widen as plaque enters.
If plaque enters these areas, you can develop gingivitis: the first stage of gum disease. Gum disease is a progressive disease, which means it worsens when left untreated.
Dentists stress the importance of dental cleanings for many reasons, but one of the top reasons is to prevent gingivitis. Gingivitis causes gum recession, bad breath, and other consequences.
While a dentist can treat it, it's much easier to aim for prevention rather than dealing with treating it.
Fresher Breath
The next reason you need dental cleanings is to have fresher breath. Many people don't realize when they have bad breath, yet studies reveal that approximately 50% of adults suffer from bad breath.
As plaque develops on your teeth, you might struggle to keep fresh breath. The reason is that plaque stinks. Plaque forms from food particles that remain on your teeth, and this causes smelly breath.
Therefore, you might have fresher breath if you keep the plaque away. Daily brushing and flossing help to remove the plaque, but you might not remove all of it through these habits.
A dentist can remove it all each time they perform cleanings. If you don't have a dentist, you might wonder how to choose a dentist. You can search your area to find one with a good reputation and convenient hours.
Detects Problems
The next thing to consider is that routine dental cleanings help you learn more about your oral health. You'll discover how well you care for your teeth and steps you can take to improve your oral health.
Additionally, you'll learn if you have any existing problems to address. The best part about routine cleanings is that they can help you detect problems when they first begin.
Early detection is vital for your oral health, as it helps protect your teeth. Early detection also helps you prevent serious issues with your teeth and gums and helps you save money.
If you can detect problems immediately, you'll pay fewer costs for the required treatment and avoid complex dental procedures.
Improved General Health
The final reason to get routine cleanings is to improve your general health. Dentists have found correlations between oral health and general health. The main correlation is that people with healthy mouths are healthier overall.
Plaque leads to infections in your mouth. However, the infection doesn't stay in your mouth. Instead, it spreads through your bloodstream.
As a result, untreated oral problems can increase your risks for health issues, such as heart disease. You can learn more about the importance of oral hygiene by clicking here.
One final question you might have is, "how often should you get your teeth cleaned?" While most dentists recommend every six months, you might need more frequent cleanings.
Dental Cleanings Are Vital For Your Oral Health
After reading this guide, you might see why dental cleanings are vital. Of course, you can talk to your dentist to learn how often to get cleanings, but they'll likely recommend two each year.
Visiting a dentist in Hollywood, FL is your first step toward improved oral health.
Are you ready to have a healthier mouth? If so, contact Smile On Us Dental. We're located in Hollywood, FL, and offer family dentistry services.
