The Importance of Regular Dental Cleanings

Maintenance is vital for many things in life. Our vehicles and homes require routine maintenance to keep things functioning as they should, and so do our bodies.

Your mouth gets a lot of use and goes through much wear and tear over the years. Your adult teeth are meant to be with you throughout your adult life; thus, taking good care of them is imperative.

Good home care is a significant part of your mouth’s maintenance. It is one of the best ways to care for your teeth daily and keep your mouth healthy. In addition, routine cleaning and exams provide necessary maintenance and check-ups for your dental health.

How Often Should I Get My Teeth Cleaned?

Routine dental cleanings can vary from person to person, but a general guideline for dental cleanings is once every six months. Suppose you generally have healthy teeth and gums during your dental visits; then good home care and seeing your dentist every six months are usually sufficient for keeping your mouth healthy.

What Is The Benefit Of Getting My Teeth Cleaned

Food and bacteria can get left behind even with the best home care. Tartar build-up is rough and porous and harbors more bacteria which in time, can lead to problems with your gum tissue and teeth. Over time, this can amount to tartar buildup forming on your teeth and underneath your gum tissue. Once plaque has hardened into tartar build-up, it requires special tools to scrape it off.,

Seeing your dental hygienist for routine cleanings is essential for many other reasons! Did you know that your dental hygienist does all these things in addition to cleaning your teeth at your maintenance appointments?

• Medical history review
• Dental history review
• Oral hygiene education
• Intraoral exam and cancer screening
• Cavity assessment
• Check gum tissue health and monitor pocket depths
• Take necessary x-rays for diagnosis

A lot of information is gathered at each of your routine maintenance dental appointments. This information is helpful to our dentist, too, as they do your exam and determine if any further treatment is needed.

It’s Been a While Since I Was at the Dentist. I’m Nervous About Going.

This is a common feeling among dental patients returning to the dentist after several years. At Riverside Dental Care, whether it’s been six months or ten years, we want you to feel comfortable coming to our office. Our dental staff is excited to help every patient who walks through our door, and we also want the best for your dental health.

Sometimes, a dental cleaning will be a little more involved if it’s been several years since you’ve had your teeth cleaned, but not always. Whether it has been six months or many years, you can find comfort in knowing that we assess your dental health to see what is best for you.

Signs or No Signs, Dental Maintenance Shouldn’t Be Ignored

Everything feels fine, so I can skip going to the dentist, right?

Not exactly. Remember how our cars need routine oil changes? There might not be a weird noise or a bright light on our dash indicating something is wrong, yet we still bring our car to get an oil change. Why is this? It is because we know it’s just good practice to avoid larger problems.

Our bodies are much like that. Our bodies may feel fine, and nothing seems broken, yet we know it’s good for us to annually visit our doctor for a physical or our dentist for an exam.

Waiting till you have a sign that is telling you that you need to go to the dentist often means that there is a bigger problem going on. The sooner that these issues can be caught, the better. We recommend that you see your dentist and dental hygienist every six months. If you notice any of these symptoms, we suggest coming in sooner:

• Red, bleeding gums
• Tooth sensitivity
• Throbbing tooth
• Cracked or chipped tooth
• Persistent bad breath that won’t go away with good homecare

If you require dental cleaning, please call our office today! We care about your dental health and want to partner with you to keep your dental health on track!