Maintaining good oral health goes beyond brushing and flossing at home. To maintain proper oral hygiene, professional dental care, including cleanings and checkups, is crucial for preventing gum disease, tooth decay, and long-term dental complications.
It is easy to assume that all dental cleanings are the same, however, this is not the case. There is an important difference between routine dental cleanings and periodontal care and understanding this difference can help protect your smile, your gums, and your overall health.
Routine Dental Cleaning
It is generally recommended to have a dental cleaning every six months. During this appointment your dentist will remove any plaque and tartar that has started to build up on your teeth. Not to worry! Having a little bit of buildup on your teeth is not the end of the world, there are just some things we cannot get to through our own regular flossing and brushing at home. However, when buildup is left for too long between cleanings, often due to busy schedules, problems can begin to develop.
What’s The Purpose?
The purpose of having a routine dental cleaning is to remove plaque, tartar, and surface stains before they cause dental problems. Regular cleanings help to:
- Maintain healthy gums and teeth
- Detect any early signs of oral health issues
- Prevent cavities
- Reduce plaque and tartar buildup
Routine Dental Cleaning Procedures
1) Physical Exam
During the physical exam, your dental hygienist checks for anything that may need additional attention, such as:
- Cracked teeth
- Gum inflammation
- Areas of sensitivity
They examine every tooth carefully and note anything that appears concerning.
2) Scaling
During scaling, plaque and tartar are carefully removed from your teeth and along your gumline. While regular brushing and flossing at home help reduce plaque build up, routine professional dental cleanings are still necessary to remove areas that daily oral care may miss.
Scaling helps to:
- Remove hardened tartar and plaque
- Clean below the gumline in places you can not reach
- Reduces bacteria buildup in your mouth
- Lowers the risk of gum disease
3) Polishing
Once buildup is removed, your hygienist polishes your teeth, this step feels similar to brushing and helps remove any remaining surface bacteria and stains.
4) Flossing
Your hygienist will also floss between your teeth to remove any remaining debris and ensure thorough cleaning. During this process, they assess the health of your gums, checking for signs of inflammation or bleeding. Gum bleeding or inflammation may indicate early gum disease or irritation often associated with inconsistent flossing habits.
5) Fluoride Treatment
The final step is a fluoride treatment, the fluoride is brushed onto your teeth and helps prevent cavities as well as strengthen your teeth.
Periodontal Care
When you come in for periodontal care, both you and your dentist understand that there is an underlying gum disease that requires ongoing management. During the appointment, your teeth receive more than just a routine surface cleaning. the dental hygienist carefully removes bacteria and buildup from below the gumline, reaching into the periodontal pockets where the tooth root and bone meet. The focus is on eliminating bacteria deep within these pockets and removing hardened tartar that has accumulated. This process is known as scaling.
What Is Periodontal Care?
Periodontal care:
- Stops the progression of gum disease
- Tries to preserve natural teeth
- Improves your overall oral health
- Prevents bone loss
- Surgical vs non surgical options and solutions
Periodontal Care Procedures
1) Scaling
Scaling is the first step of periodontal treatment and involves removing plaque and tartar from both the surface of the teeth and deep below the gumline. This process helps to eliminate any harmful bacteria hiding that can cause infection and inflammation by:
- Removing hardened tartar and plaque
- Making sure the gums are able to heal properly
- Reducing the amount of gum inflammation
- Cleaning the deep periodontal pockets that can not be reached at home
2) Root Planing
Root planing directly follows after scaling and focuses on smoothing the tooth roots, and removing any bacteria, tartar, that will inhibit proper healing from taking place. Root planing helps to:
- Remove any remaining bacteria from the root of the tooth surface
- Smooth rough areas where bacteria can get trapped
- Support proper gum healing
What Is Gum Disease?
Gum disease, also known as periodontitis, is a bacterial infection that damages your gum tissue and bone that support your teeth. It can develop due to different reasons including plaque buildup, smoking, poor oral hygiene habits such as not brushing or flossing regularly and properly.
The Three Stages Of Periodontitis
Periodontitis develops in stages that gradually worsen if you just leave them untreated. These stages include early periodontitis, moderate periodontitis, and advanced periodontitis.
1) Early Periodontitis
- Gums start to pull away from your teeth
- Pockets have started to form around your teeth allowing bacteria to get further in
- At home flossing and brushing can not reach these spots
2) Moderate Periodontitis
- Bacteria will begin to erode soft tissue if left untreated
- You may start to notice persistently bad breath
- Some pain may start to develop at this stage
3) Advanced Periodontitis
- Bone loss continues
- Teeth falling out may eventually occur
- Pain will start to worsen
Building A Healthy Smile With Eriks Dental Group
Routine dental cleanings play an important role in identifying minor concerns before they develop into more serious oral health issues. While it can be easy to delay a six-month cleaning due to a busy schedule, consistent dental visits are essential for maintaining long-term oral health.
Choosing a trusted dental provider in Boynton Beach allows you to protect your oral health, maintain a confident smile, and achieve lasting results.
Gum disease does not resolve on its own and requires professional treatment. Even if you are not currently experiencing symptoms, regular dental checkups are important. To schedule an appointment, contact Eriks Dental Group at 561-733-4004.