The Importance of Professional Dental Cleanings

Professional dental cleanings preserve your oral health by removing plaque and stains from tooth surfaces. Reducing bacteria has a positive effect not only on your oral hygiene, but also on your body’s health beyond your mouth.

Our compassionate specialists at Hometown Family Dental Centers — with locations in Fayetteville, Raeford, and Vass, North Carolina — offer professional dental cleanings to keep you healthy, helping to prevent costly and potentially painful dental problems. Visiting us for regular checkups also plays a role in identifying and even preventing more serious issues with your overall health.

Benefits of professional dental cleanings

Professional dental cleanings are a critical part of your oral health. Optimal oral health ensures fresh breath, a dazzling smile, and healthy teeth and gums.

Avoid cavities

A cavity occurs when the protective enamel coating decays, chips, or wears away from a tooth. Plaque is the biggest offender in eroding this crucial defensive barrier, and daily brushing and flossing reduce the plaque wearing away at your sensitive enamel, but even the best oral care routine can benefit from professional help.  

The best way to prevent harmful cavities is to schedule regular dental cleanings. Our dental team conducts a deep cleaning to ensure plaque removal in areas you can’t reach thoroughly at home.

Stop gum disease

Gum disease is an infection or inflammation of the gum tissue. Known as periodontal disease, this problem causes pain and requires dental intervention. 

Your gums hold your teeth firmly in place. Once they’re infected, they can't do their job effectively, causing loose teeth and discomfort. When you combine professional teeth cleaning with your normal oral hygiene routine, you can prevent gum disease before it starts.

Prevent tooth loss

Without regular professional dental cleanings, plaque builds up. As plaque grows, it hardens, damaging your tooth enamel. Bacteria in the hardened plaque, called tartar, builds up around a tooth and makes you more susceptible to gum disease. And if gum disease progresses, you can lose teeth. Professional cleanings combat gum disease, preventing tooth loss.

Save money and time

Getting your teeth professionally cleaned regularly saves you time and money spent in the dentist's office. Detecting serious issues early helps you avoid more costly and painful procedures later on. 

Identifying early signs of disease

Your oral cavity is a direct route to your respiratory system and digestive tract. The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) reports that many systemic diseases have early signs of disease that show oral symptoms. Regular dental checkups allow us to identify problems.

Chronic heartburn

Chronic heartburn is also known as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). This condition causes bad breath, inflamed gums, and a sore throat. It also erodes your tooth enamel, leaving teeth unprotected from harmful bacteria. Sometimes GERD causes chipped or cracked teeth that are painful when eating or drinking.

Thyroid disease

Children and adults experience thyroid problems differently. In adults with thyroid problems, chronic dry mouth is a problem, and gum disease is more likely to develop. Children exhibit more apparent symptoms like thick lips, an enlarged tongue, and delayed tooth loss. At our family dentistry practice, we look for signs of trouble in patients of all ages.

Diabetes

AAFP research reveals that nearly 44 million Americans will be affected by diabetes over the next 20 years. The risk of oral infections like gum disease and fungal infections like burning mouth syndrome is higher in diabetic patients. Our experts watch for signs of this serious disease. 

Get regular dental cleanings

Regular dental screenings and cleanings allow your dentist to give you a brilliant smile, detect serious oral health issues, and ensure you receive the proper treatment when needed.

Early diagnosis can fix most dental problems. Delaying treatment, however, allows dental problems to worsen. Postponing professional dental cleanings could lead to more invasive procedures, including dental surgery. Infections in the mouth can spread to other parts of the body. These infections can become life-threatening if left untreated.

Visiting us for regular exams and cleanings keeps you healthy. It also prevents minor problems from becoming major problems. Are you due to schedule your next exam and cleaning? Call Hometown Family Dental Centers today, or book an appointment online.