Clean teeth don’t just happen. In fact, when you don’t pay attention to keeping your teeth clean, trouble can follow. Skipping home brushing might lead to unpleasant “furry” feeling teeth and bad breath. Skipping preventive visits can lead to more time in the dental chair, when you do come in, as hardened tartar is scraped from tooth surfaces. In some cases, a deep periodontal cleaning is required in an attempt to restore teeth and teeth roots to health. When you maintain good care at the home level, you can cut down on time for deeper levels of cleaning.
Cleaning Teeth At Home Daily
The first level of teeth cleaning is up to you. You want to be brushing your twice a day, and flossing carefully between and around teeth once a day, to remove food particles from between and on tooth surfaces. When you skip these activities, naturally occurring oral bacteria can turn sugar and carbohydrates into sticky plaque that coats a tooth, and can lead to tooth decay.
How We Clean Your Teeth At Checkups
Every checkup gives as a chance to clean at the second level. Even the best brushing can miss some spots. Unremoved plaque hardens into tartar, which must be scraped away. In addition to having special tools to remove easily visible tartar, our dental technology can help us look more closely. Using an intraoral camera, for example, we can look at the far side of the back teeth and areas deep in the mouth.
When You Need A Deep Dental Cleaning
Scaling and root planing is a type of deep dental cleaning, that can resolve problems on the root surfaces of teeth. When early gum issues are not fully addressed, infection can move more deeply along the teeth roots, extending towards the jawbone. This situation, called periodontal disease, can cause teeth to become loose in the jaw, or even drop out. Scaling and root planing uses special tools to clean infection from the tooth roots, and then smooth the root surfaces to make it more difficult for bacteria to collect there.
Your Teeth Can Be Clean At All Levels
From home care to expert periodontal care in our office, we can help you keep your teeth clean and healthy. Dr. Amanda Foust has proudly treated families in Ankeny, IA, as well as Alleman, Elkhart, Bondurant, and all surrounding communities. To learn more, office today at (515) 965-0230.
