Types of Dental Cleanings
Have you been scheduling your dental cleanings every six months? At First Hill Dental Center, we recommend frequent dental cleanings twice a year to monitor the health of your teeth, along with removing any plaque build-up to help prevent cavities and tooth loss. These routine dental cleanings help remove stains and examine your overall dental health while other types of cleanings, like deep cleanings, can help remove tartar associated with periodontal disease. While your cleanings might feel close together, they’re vital for maintaining the long-term health of your teeth. Call First Hill Dental Center in Seattle to schedule your dental cleaning today!
Regular teeth cleaning comes with a variety of benefits, including:
- Preventing gum disease
- Removing plaque and stains
- Monitoring any potential cavities or tooth decay
- Checking for oral cancer
- Detecting signs of broken fractures or fillings
But Why Are Dental Cleanings So Important?
It may not be something that everyone looks forward to, but your overall health actually depends on a good teeth cleaning every six months. In around half an hour, our dental hygienists will examine the condition and health of your gums, ensure that all of the plaque and tartar is removed from your teeth, give them a thorough brushing, and protect your teeth from cavities until your next cleaning. In just a small amount of time, you can have peace of mind knowing that your teeth are healthy and protected.
Reduces Plaque and Cavities
Plaque is a white film that develops on the enamel of your teeth and around your gum line. Even though brushing and flossing can help remove some of the plaque that builds up, the only way to remove all of the plaque, especially in hard to reach areas, is with a regular teeth cleaning. If the plaque is not removed, it will start to eat away at the enamel and eventually cause tooth decay.
As for cavities, they’re also formed as enamel is lost and the tooth begins to decay. Again, brushing and flossing can play a big part in protecting your teeth, but it’s essential that you protect your teeth with regular cleanings. Visit us in our Seattle office for a cleaning. And if you do have any cavities, we can help with tooth fillings as well.
Prevents Tooth Loss
The longer you wait for a teeth cleaning, the more plaque that is constantly building up on your teeth. The longer this material sits on your teeth, your risk of gum disease and tooth loss increases. If gum disease develops, it can progress into the gums and surface of the tooth. If this goes unchecked, it can cause serious tooth loss.
Removes Stains
Everyone wants a bright and shiny smile, right? Well, every day there are things that prevent this from happening. Your morning coffee, the soft drink at lunch, or the glass of red wine at dinner are causing stains to develop on your teeth. To ensure these stains don’t become worse, visit First Hill for a thorough teeth cleaning.
Supports Overall Health
It may be surprising, but your dentist can actually help maintain your overall health. If you skip brushing your teeth and flossing every day, this can lead to mouth cancer, heart disease, and even diabetes. When you visit a dentist, they can help you prevent these problems in the first place or detect them early enough for them to be treated.
But Why Are Dental Cleanings So Important?
Not sure what type of dental cleaning you need? Learn more about the types of dental cleanings, along with the difference between prophy and perio maintenance at First Hill Dental Center in Seattle.
Start With a Basic Cleaning
Watch for Periodontal Disease
Prophy or Deep Cleaning:
Scaling & Root Planing
Perio Maintenance: Every Three Months
Types of Dental Cleanings
The type of cleaning you need depends on a variety of factors. As a new patient, we’ll start with a basic cleaning, x-rays, and a perio chart to get a better understanding of your oral health. After that, you’ll want to schedule a basic cleaning every six months to check in on your oral health.
If we find periodontal disease during your cleaning, you’ll want to start prophy and perio maintenance.
Prophy and Perio Maintenance
According to a recent study, 47% of adults aged 30 and over have periodontal disease. While periodontitis never goes away, routine maintenance can help prevent further damage from happening.
Prophy maintenance is a deep cleaning that we perform involving scaling and root planing. Scaling is the process of removing plaque and tartar from your teeth. Then root planing smooths out the tooth roots to help strengthen your gums and help them reattach to your teeth.
Perio maintenance evaluates your gum pocket depths to make sure that the gum disease isn’t worsening. Since disease-causing bacteria can build up one to two months after a deep cleaning, perio maintenance monitors your teeth and gums between deep cleaning appointments.
When You Need Each Type of Dental Cleaning
Not sure what type of dental cleaning you need? Learn more about the types of dental cleanings, along with the difference between prophy and perio maintenance at First Hill Dental Center in Seattle.