If you have accumulated plaque and tartar buildup on your teeth, this could lead visible teeth stains, bad breath, and poor oral health. To keep issues like tooth decay and gum disease at bay, we suggest a cleaning every six months. In today’s blog, your Ankeny, IA, dentist explains how a routine cleaning safeguards your teeth and gums!
The Impact of Your Plaque and Tartar Buildup
The purpose of a dental cleaning is to remove all plaque and tartar from the surfaces of your teeth. Plaque is caused by harmful oral bacteria consuming the particles of sugar and starch left behind by the foods and drinks you consume. This sticky layer coats the teeth and over time, could erode enamel and inflame gums to cause tooth decay and even gum disease. The same buildup is linked to bad breath and stained teeth too. Without removal, this hardens into tartar.
Removing Harmful Buildup
We want to see you every six months to remove buildup and safeguard your smile. If you have high risk factors for periodontal disease, we may suggest one every three to four months. The procedure involves the use of an ultrasonic scaling device and a manual pick. The scaling device will emit gentle vibrations to help remove plaque and tartar from the surfaces of the teeth and from along the gum line. We use the manual pick to extract any portions that are too stubborn for the scaling device to remove alone. The process only takes a short period, and we complete it by polishing your teeth. The polishing helps limit the ability for plaque and tartar to accumulate before you see us again, and also helps brighten your smile too.
What About a Periodontal Cleaning?
If we find you already have gingivitis or gum disease, then may suggest a deep cleaning. Also known as periodontal cleanings, or a scaling and root planing, this involves the use of the same tools as a traditional one, but we will remove the layers from the roots too and from beneath the gum line. Since this is more involved, we will numb your smile ahead of time, and this could take one visit or a few, depending on the severity of your buildup. We again polish your teeth afterward, and will likely recommend follow-up traditional ones every three to four months instead of every six.
If you have any questions about how we remove plaque and tartar buildup to keep your smile bright and healthy, or if you want to schedule a visit now, then contact our team today to get started.
Dental Impressions Provides Preventive and General Dentistry
We can help safeguard smiles with preventive dentistry! To schedule an appointment for a general dentistry, then call Dental Impressions in Ankeny, IA today at (515) 965-0230.
