Category: Dental Exam and Cleaning

Every person deserves to have a smile they can be proud of. While brushing your teeth twice a day and flossing once a day can help to prevent most dental problems, your home oral hygiene routine is not sufficient to get rid of hardened plaque or tartar. This can only be removed during your six-month preventive dental checkup with professional teeth cleaning. Your dental hygienist will also recommend ways to keep your teeth healthy and bright for life. 

The Mouth as a Breeding Ground for Bacteria 

Your mouth is exposed to a myriad of health risks unlike other parts of the body. Besides the helpful and unhelpful bacteria living in your mouth, you’re exposed to other dangers in the food and drinks you consume. You need to take special care of this environment to avoid any problems. This is the reason why people clean their teeth, to get rid of food particles, stains, and dental plaque from the teeth, which in turn reduces the risk of getting cavities, gum disease, bad breath, and other oral issues. 

Constant Fight Against Bacteria in Your Mouth 

Since your mouth contains harmful bacteria and useful bacteria, your immune system is actively fighting the harmful bacteria to prevent it from causing harm. Professional teeth cleaning helps to prevent the buildup of bacteria to such an extent that it overwhelms your immune system and causes disease. 

Once the buildup of plaque and tartar is uncontrollable, it causes gum inflammation and bleeding, which is known as periodontal disease. If left untreated, the severity of gum disease can lead to tooth loss and the infection spreading to other parts of your body through the bloodstream. This increases the risk of diabetes going out of control, as well as heart disease, stroke, and dementia. 

Final Note 

Cleaning your teeth at home using good brushing technique and flossing can help to prevent most oral issues. Daily brushing and flossing help to remove plaque on the surface of your teeth. But it is also important to visit a dentist at least every six months for professional cleaning and the removal of hardened deposits known as tartar that cannot be removed through regular brushing. This prevents the buildup of harmful bacteria in your mouth that may lead to decay, gum disease, and other oral and body issues.

Contact your dentist in Watertown, MN to schedule your routine dental visit today!

Teeth cleaning forms a vital part of maintaining not only your oral health but also a healthy body and mind. In fact, your oral health is connected with your overall health. During your dental exam, the hygienist can identify the signs of certain medical conditions and diseases, such as nutritional deficiencies, diabetes, hormonal irregularities, and so on, and recommend the appropriate action to help manage them and correct the problem. 

Indeed, these routine dental visits can save more than your mouth. Here are some of the benefits you can expect from teeth cleaning visits:

• Check for any oral issues – an oral evaluation is done before teeth cleaning, as it shows the extent of plaque and tartar buildup and the best approach to remove it. The hygienist also examines the condition of your teeth, checking for signs of decay and proper brushing/flossing, gums for inflammation and other signs of gum disease, the tongue, cheeks, lips, throat, and neck. If any problems are detected, you will schedule an appointment for treatment. 
• Professional teeth cleaning – necessary to remove tartar (hardened plaque) that may contribute to dental issues such as decay, gum disease, and bad breath, among others. For severe tartar buildup, a full-mouth debridement (cleaning above and below the gums) may be necessary as opposed to standard teeth cleaning of the exposed part of the teeth (above the gum line).
• Address bad breath – depending on the health of your gums, the hygienist may need to inspect your roots for abnormalities. If you’re suffering from bad breath (halitosis), then gingival irrigation may be necessary to remove food debris and accumulated bacteria. 
• Improve your general health – the hygienist will also check for signs of certain medical conditions and diseases, such as nutritional deficiencies, diabetes, hormonal irregularities, and so on, and recommend the appropriate action to help manage them and correct the problem. 

During the oral evaluation, you can ask your dentist in Watertown MN about any medical or financial concerns you may have. This means that you can learn more about how to take better care of your mouth to maintain a healthy smile.