Can a Dental Cleaning Prevent Gum Disease?

Wondering if a dental cleaning helps prevent gum disease? Preventive dentistry is essential to having a healthy mouth because it helps patients avoid cavities, enamel wear and gum disease. This is why routine dental cleanings are so essential to a dental patient's overall oral health.

Avoiding gum disease

Signing up for a dental cleaning on a regular basis is something that every dental patient needs to do to support their oral health. Undergoing routine cleanings is necessary because professional dental cleanings help prevent gum disease. While it is necessary for dental patients to properly brush and floss their teeth on a regular basis, routine dental cleanings are also an essential part of a patient's healthy oral care routine.

Dental cleanings help prevent gum disease

Even dental patients who properly and regularly follow their oral health routine can still experience a buildup of plaque on their teeth. When plaque is not removed in a timely manner, it will turn into tartar. Tartar will build up on teeth both above and below the gum line. When this happens, dental patients will be in need of a deep dental cleaning, also known as a root and planing and scaling procedure.

Plaque contains harmful bacteria, which means that when any plaque is present, it will damage a tooth if not removed. Plaque causes both tooth decay and gum disease, which means that if someone does not choose to undergo routine dental cleanings, they will start experiencing the early signs of gum disease, which includes but is not limited to red gums, swollen gums, sore gums and bleeding gums. Later stages of gum disease can result in bone loss and tooth loss.

What happens during a dental cleaning

Routine dental cleanings often do not take long to perform and can provide dental patients with the gum care they need so they do not get gum disease. During a professional dental cleaning, patients will first have any plaque or tartar buildup removed from the surfaces of their teeth. Once all the plaque and/or tarter has been removed, the teeth will then be smoothed out by polishing them. Lastly, some patients will undergo a fluoride treatment in order to strengthen the enamel of their teeth.

Bottom line

Are you currently in need of a dental cleaning? Now you know why professional dental cleanings are essential when it comes to preventing gum disease. A professional dental cleaning allows any existing plaque on one's teeth to be removed, which in turn, allows patients to experience oral health free of disease. Some patients need to undergo dental cleanings once a year, while others need to undergo them every three months.

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