You brush and floss your teeth every day, and you try to avoid sugary treats. So, why do you need to visit the dentist twice a year for professional cleanings?
These semi-annual visits are essential for maintaining good oral health, and the more frequently you attend these appointments, the better your oral health will be.
At Hometown Family Dental Centers, our expert dental professionals provide professional dental cleanings for our patients of all ages. The real cost of missing these cleanings isn’t measured in dollars; it’s measured in poor oral health, painful procedures, and even tooth loss. Here’s why you need to ensure you schedule and keep your cleaning appointments.
Most people don’t go through life with all 32 teeth, including wisdom teeth. By the age of 50, the average American has lost 12 of their permanent teeth, primarily due to cavities, gum disease, and/or injury.
Losing teeth doesn’t just affect your smile; it can lead to a poor diet, alter your bite, weaken your jawbone, and make it difficult to speak, decreasing your quality of life.
But it doesn’t have to be this way. Both cavities and gum (periodontal) disease, the two leading causes of lost teeth, are preventable if you brush, floss, and attend semi-annual cleanings.
Semi-annual cleanings don’t just get your teeth squeaky clean, but they also allow us to check for cavities, signs of gum disease, or indications of oral cancer. It also allows us to catch and treat any problems while they’re still easy to fix and relatively cheap to do so.
Failing to keep your appointments means that, down the line, you may need more invasive and costly procedures, including dental surgery, and you may lose one or more of your teeth because the gums can’t hold them in their sockets.
Additionally, oral infections can spread through the bloodstream to other parts of the body and become life-threatening if left untreated.
When you come in for a professional cleaning, we carefully examine your teeth and gums. We may also choose to take X-rays, which can detect cavities too small to be seen with the naked eye.
Next, the hygienist thoroughly cleans your teeth, including removing plaque and hardened tartar below the gum line. If your plaque has hardened into tartar, a professional cleaning is the only effective way to remove it.
Then, they polish your teeth to a smooth finish and apply any fluoride or sealant treatments the dentist deems necessary. If you have any dental appliances, such as bridges or dentures, the hygienist may also examine them to be sure they don’t have any problems.
After cleaning your teeth, we assess your bite and examine how you move your jaw, chew, and swallow, as these are vital for a healthy mouth. Based on your risk factors, we might also screen for oral cancer.
If we find any evidence of decay or gum disease, our team schedules a follow-up appointment to address these issues, again to keep your mouth as healthy as possible.
You only get one set of permanent teeth, and if you lose them, your entire body can suffer. Going to your semi-annual cleanings is a small price to pay for continued oral and overall health.
If you haven’t had a professional dental exam within the last six months, call Hometown Family Dental Centers in Fayetteville, Raeford, or Vass, North Carolina, to schedule your next cleaning.
