Prevention is always better than treatment. By actively preventing disease and decay through regular home care, professional dental cleanings, and regular exams, you will maintain a healthy, beautiful smile.
In addition, effective prevention can help you avoid costly treatments in the future to remove decay, restore teeth and treat gum disease. Regular prevention is truly your best investment.
Why Do I Need Dental Cleanings?
We all know that brushing twice a day and flossing once a day are two keys to optimal dental hygiene. We know that we can optimize our oral health by utilizing mouthwash throughout the day. While all of these daily activities will help to keep your mouth happy and clean, they are not always enough to prevent gum disease and tooth decay. This is where the dentists and dental hygienists of New Smiles Dental come in.
Professional cleanings involve a deep cleaning of your gums and teeth, removing the plaque and tartar that simple cannot be wiped out by your toothbrush. During your cleanings, we will use X-Rays to spot areas of decay (i.e.; cavities) and we will inspect your mouth for signs of gum disease of loss of bone mass. Of course, we trust that you take very good care of your oral health, but without teeth cleanings, you are almost guaranteed to miss the causes of tooth decay and gingivitis.
What Happens If You Don't Get Dental Cleanings?
Routine dental cleanings are complementary to the good oral care you practice daily at home. Even if you take very good care of your teeth and gums, your professional cleanings are important as they help refresh the healthy biofilm that protects you from cavities and gum disease. If you forgo dental cleanings and notice the signs of inflammation, such as redness, swelling, or bleeding when you brush or floss, you are at risk of progressive dental problems. Untreated gum inflammation and infection can ultimately lead to tooth loss.
Can Dental Cleanings Prevent Gum Disease?
Seeing the dentist every six months for a thorough dental examination, followed by a routine dental cleaning, can significantly improve your chances of avoiding gum disease. However, one cannot rely only on these visits. To prevent gum disease, it is also necessary to brush and floss daily, stay hydrated, and avoid tobacco.
Always Choose New Smiles Dental
Here at New Smiles Dental, we suggest that our patients schedule a cleaning twice a year. However, if you are prone to developing cavities and/or suffer from gum disease, we may suggest you schedule appointments more often.
Patient Testimonials
Dr. Doyel is the best dentist! He is gentle, caring, kind, compassionate, funny, honest, highly intelligent and skilled at his craft. He has treated me and my family and we all love him. He uses only the highest quality and long lasting, non-toxic dental materials, and he really teaches us how to prevent needing dental work in the future. Everyone in his office is happy to be there and it shows. The staff is warm, friendly and helpful. The office is beautiful and comfortable. No one seems to love their dentist, but our whole family loves ours’!
What Exactly Is Scaling And Deep Cleaning?
Deep cleaning, also referred to as scaling, is a dental procedure that focuses on removing plaque and bacteria from pockets between the gums and roots below the gum line. This kind of cleaning becomes necessary when debris builds up along the gum line, causing the gums to pull away from teeth roots. As bacteria enter what are referred to as periodontal pockets, they can cause infection, pain, bleeding, and bone damage if not treated.
The scaling procedure is performed using a special ultrasonic instrument, and it may be followed by root planing. Root planing smooths out rough spots on teeth roots, thus inhibiting bacterial growth in the future. Smoothing out the root surfaces also helps the gums naturally reattach to teeth once the infection has been eliminated.
What Is The Difference Between Regular Mouth Cleanings Vs. Scaling Ang Deep Cleanings?
The best explanation of routine dental cleanings is that they are preventative. Deep cleanings are corrective. Everyone needs routine cleanings every six months to remove any bacteria and plaque that have accumulated over time. When plaque is not removed, it hardens into a bacteria-filled tartar that will not slough off with regular brushing and flossing. Tartar must be removed using a special dental instrument. When plaque and tartar accumulate, the gums can become inflamed. Because plaque and tartar harbor bacteria, the gums can become infected. This is when a deep cleaning becomes necessary.
Deep dental cleanings, also referred to as scaling and root planing, go beyond the margin of the gum line. These cleanings involve the use of special dental instruments to remove built-up debris from small areas between the roots of teeth and the gums. Due to the detail involved in a deep cleaning, the process may be scheduled over two or more sessions.
What Can Dental Cleanings Help Prevent?
Protective Sealants
Protective sealants are tough, the plastic material designed to bond (stick) to tooth enamel. Click Here to view more about protective sealants.
Gum Disease
Gum disease, also known as periodontal disease, is responsible for about 70 percent of adult tooth loss. Plaque, a sticky substance that forms in the mouth, can get inside the space between the gum line and the tooth. Click Here to view more about Gum Disease.
Digital X-Rays
Digital x-rays or radiographs are very important. They allow the dentists at New Smiles Dental to see things about your oral health that cannot be seen by the naked eye. Click Here to view more about Digital X-Rays.
Cleaning and Exams
Dental cleanings, also known as dental prophylaxis, is done by a dentist or a hygienist to prevent tooth decay and gum disease. During dental prophylaxis, the dentist or hygienist removes plaque from the teeth. Click Here to view more about Digital X-Rays.
Are Dental Cleanings Painful?
A routine dental cleaning should be easily tolerated because all of the action is performed above the gum line. Deep cleanings can be uncomfortable because they treat areas that are relatively near to the nerves of teeth. For this reason, deep cleanings are often performed using a local anesthetic, just as you would receive if you were getting a filling. After your deep cleaning, you may need to take an over-the-counter pain reliever to manage the temporary soreness or tenderness that can occur.
How Much Time Is Between Each Dental Cleaning Session?
The time in between dental cleanings can vary depending on the patient’s level of oral health. Generally, routine dental cleanings should take place twice a year, every six months. When coupled with good daily oral care that includes brushing and flossing, these routine visits can significantly reduce the risk of gum disease and the need for deep cleanings. If gum disease has developed, the dentist may recommend cleanings more frequently for a time, until infection is brought well under control.
Which Dental Cleanings Treatment Is Right For Me?
The best dental cleaning is determined by the state of a person’s oral health at the time of their visit. When teeth and gums are healthy and free of infection, and the patient does not have pockets between their teeth and gums caused by inflammation, a routine cleaning may be ideal. Conversely, a deep cleaning may be the most effective treatment when the gums show signs of infection.
Schedule a Consultation
To learn more about our Cleaning and Prevention services, call 503.925.9595 to schedule a consultation at our office in Sherwood, OR.
