Professional Cleanings at Holt Dental Care

dental cleanings

Why Are Professional Cleanings So Important?

The top two reasons adults lose teeth are cavities and gum disease, which is why regular professional dental cleanings are so crucial, on top of a good dental hygiene routine. Even the best daily brushing and flossing won’t get every bit of plaque between teeth and along the gum lines, and that plaque eventually hardens into tartar. Professional cleaning gets rid of all that tartar and keeps your teeth and gums on track to stay healthy.

Cleanings Keep Gingivitis at Bay

Gingivitis is an inflammation of the gums characterized by gum irritation, redness, swelling, and sometimes bleeding. Symptoms of gingivitis are fairly mild and can even be painless. Visiting your dentist in West Jordan regularly for dental cleanings and checkups is important so gingivitis can be diagnosed, especially if symptoms are not obvious.

Gingivitis is the first stage of periodontal, or gum disease, and should be taken seriously. If left untreated, gingivitis will progress to full-blown gum disease, which can lead to receding and damaged gums as well as bone and tooth loss.

What Causes Gingivitis?

Gingivitis is usually the result of poor oral hygiene. When plaque is not removed by proper brushing and flossing, bacteria-filled plaque hardens and turns into what is called tartar. Plaque and tartar buildup around the gum line cause gum irritation and inflammation or, in other words, gingivitis.

Other factors may contribute to the development of gingivitis such as hormonal changes (especially during pregnancy), smoking, certain medications or illnesses and genetic predisposition.

Finding out you have gingivitis can be worrisome but here’s the good news: good oral hygiene habits and professional dental cleanings can, in most cases, rid you of gingivitis.

The Hygienist Versus Tartar

The reason it’s so important to scrub away the plaque is that when plaque is allowed to sit on the teeth too long, it becomes tartar. Tartar is a hard, yellow or brown substance that bonds to tooth enamel and can only be removed through professional dental cleanings by the hygienist.

How does this transformation happen? When the acid excreted by oral bacteria comes into contact with minerals in our saliva, it causes a chemical reaction that hardens the plaque into tartar. The risk of tartar buildup is higher for people with braces, dry mouth, crowded teeth, or a smoking habit, and it also increases with age.

A rigorous oral hygiene routine, paired with regular professional cleanings, is the best way to control the plaque in your mouth and prevent it from hardening into tartar.

How Often Should I Come in for Dental Cleanings?

In general, patients should schedule basic dental cleanings twice a year, but it’s important to talk to Dr. Holt about your individual dental health needs. Patients with risk factors for developing gum disease may need more frequent cleanings, and diabetic patients often require as many as four cleanings per year to fight back against the attendant oral health difficulties.

Schedule Your Next Cleaning With Your Dentist in West Jordan

It might seem discouraging to think that plaque will creep back up throughout the day even after you brush and floss thoroughly. A better perspective is that it only takes a few minutes each morning and night to win the daily battle against plaque and tartar, and you can improve the odds for your teeth even more with regular dental cleanings!

So if it’s been six months or longer since your last appointment and you live in or near West Jordan, what are you waiting for? Give us a call at (801) 282-5839 or send us a email today to schedule your next one at the dentist in West Jordan. We want to give our patients all the tools they need to fight back against cavities, gum disease, and tooth loss.