How Often Do I Need a Professional Dental Cleaning?

If you have a good and thorough oral hygiene routine, good dental history, and your teeth and gums are in great shape, you might think that there isn’t anything else you need to do to maximize your oral health. Regardless of how well you take care of your oral health, your dentist will suggest professional dental cleanings to ensure the appearance and long-term function of your teeth.

 

What is a Professional Dental Cleaning?

No matter how good or thorough your dental hygiene routine is, there will always be areas missed by the toothbrush, and this is why a professional cleaning, using specialized equipment, is important. The tools that your dentist will use will remove the areas of plaque that the toothbrush misses. Your dentist will carry out a thorough, deep clean of your teeth and gums to ensure that they are in the best possible condition.

 

What are the Benefits of Dental Cleanings?

Maintaining the best oral health possible is the reason we should have a professional clean performed periodically. Plaque build-up can cause many problems, including tooth damage, erosion, and eventually decay. This is due to the invisible acids created by the millions of bacteria contained in the plaque that forms on our teeth when we don’t clean them properly.

It’s not only our teeth that are adversely affected by plaque. Our gums can also suffer the consequences of plaque build-up. If plaque is left to spread onto the gums, it can quickly lead to the development of gum disease. Gum disease starts as mild irritation, soreness, and redness of the gums, but if untreated, can develop into periodontitis, which is a severe gum disease with far-reaching consequences.


Periodontitis can cause many problems including bleeding, infection, bad breath, dental abscesses, severe pain, tooth loss, and even deterioration of the jawbone which can cause the shape of the face to change. Severe gum disease has also been linked to other serious illnesses such as stroke and heart disease. Professional dental cleanings play a huge role in preventing gum disease, supporting good oral health, and even your overall wellness.

 

Professional Dental Cleanings & Oral Cancer

Sadly, oral cancer is a common disease in the United States, with data stating that on average that as many as 24 people die each day as a result of suffering from this condition. Professional dental cleaning nearly always includes an oral cancer screening as part of the process, and as with any cancer, early detection and treatment are crucially important to a patient’s outcome. Any abnormalities that are spotted during your clean can be noted, investigated and, if necessary, treated quickly.

Early Detection of Dental Problems

Many dental problems are things that build up very slowly over time, and just like the problem itself, the symptoms may take time to manifest. This means that by the time the issue becomes apparent, much of the damage may have already been done. Professional dental cleaning can help identify and potential problems early and enable the treatment of them to be carried out swiftly before any pain, discomfort or permanent damage can occur.

How Often do I Need a Professional Dental Clean?

Exactly how often you would benefit from a professional clean may vary depending on the condition and health of your teeth. However, as a minimum, dentists suggest that they are carried out annually, and more often if they recommend so.

If you would like to schedule a professional dental clean, or if have any further questions and would like some more information, call River Valley Dental in Tremonton, Utah at 435.257.7344 today.