National Fluoride Day celebrates the importance of its role in tooth decay prevention. Along with biannual teeth cleanings, it has been proven to help retain and return minerals to the tooth’s surface. This helps prevent cavities from developing.
A proper oral health routine, along with regular dental exams and a teeth cleaning, can help ensure your oral health remains its best. Fluoride is especially important for children who want to keep their teeth strong as they grow. However, it also benefits adults, especially those with a history of tooth decay or oral health issues, to maintain their natural structure without the need for cosmetic or restorative dentistry procedures.
At Eriks Dental Group, we offer teeth cleaning services in Boynton Beach that help you maintain your oral health. We are committed to offering a comfortable and effective teeth-cleaning experience for patients of all ages.
What is Fluoride and Why’s It Important?
Fluoride is a natural mineral that is released from rocks into the air, water, and soil. All sources of water naturally contain it; however, usually, it isn’t enough to prevent tooth decay on its own. It can be added to drinking water though. It’s important to note that in large amounts, it can be harmful, so finding the perfect balance is key.
Fluoride is a natural tooth decay prevention tool that benefits both children and adults. The fluoride that you consume is in your saliva. When you have consistently low levels of it in your mouth, it can stop or even reverse tooth decay by keeping your enamel strong. It also helps to build strong bones in the entire body, not just the mouth.
What Teeth Cleanings Help Prevent
While brushing and flossing are important, they’re just one part of an oral hygiene routine. A professional teeth cleaning by a dental hygienist plays a role in not only preserving your oral health but also your smile. When periodontal disease and other oral health issues are left untreated, they can even cause health issues in other places in your body.
It’s not uncommon that even good brushers and flossing can miss hard-to-reach places where plaque and tartar can accumulate. A professional cleaning can remove these food deposits and plaque to stop the progression of oral health issues that can lead to pain, tooth decay, gum disease, or the need for more extensive dental procedures.
Benefits of a Tooth Cleaning
When you have regular teeth cleanings, you’re not only helping to maintain your oral health and your smile but your overall health too. There are many benefits of having regular tooth cleanings, including:
Plaque & Tartar Removal
Plaque is a sticky bacteria film that can solidify to tartar, which brushing cannot remove on its own. A professional cleaning can remove these deposits, which can prevent cavities and gum inflammation.
Periodontal Disease Prevention
Gingivitis, an early stage of gum disease, often has silent symptoms until it progresses to more advanced stages of gum disease.
Stain Removal
Surface stains from different foods or beverages or even smoke can affect your smile. By removing stains, your smile becomes more brighter.
Early Detection
Regular teeth cleanings allow us to address issues like cracked teeth or tooth decay before they advance to needing more invasive dental procedures.
Oral Hygiene Improvement Suggestions
During a tooth cleaning appointment, our dental professionals can offer helpful tips on how to better brush or floss.
Overall Better Health
Our oral health is directly connected with general health. Poor oral hygiene is linked to other conditions like heart disease.
What Happens During a Tooth Cleaning?
When you visit a dental office for a teeth cleaning, there are many steps to this important preventative dental procedure process, including:
- X-rays: The first step of your cleaning can help reveal issues that cannot be seen with the naked eye during a dental exam.
- Plaque removal: A hygienist will use instruments to remove plaque and tartar from the tooth’s surface and the gumline. After your teeth cleaning, they will use a gritty toothpaste and a toothbrush or polishing tool to scrub and polish the teeth.
- Review Oral Hygiene Routine: They can offer tips on how to improve your oral hygiene routine at home whether with new techniques or suggesting different products.
Oral Hygiene Tips To Maintain Healthy Teeth
While regular dental cleaning and teeth cleanings are important for maintaining oral health, you must also have a great at-home oral hygiene routine. Here are some tips for maintaining your teeth at home:
- Watch your diet: Avoid sugary and overly acidic foods as s. Sugar can lead to tooth decay, while acid is known to can erode tooth enamel.
- Limit caffeine: Soda, coffee, and tea all can cause can all stains on the teeth.
- Quit smoking: Smoking is a main cause of gum disease and other oral health issues.
- Brush and floss daily: Brushing removes plaque from your teeth and flossing helps to removes excess food particles and bacteria that can lead to cause tooth decay and periodontal disease.
- Schedule regular dental exams and teeth cleanings: These professional cleanings and exams cannot only detect problems early on but also remove plaque and tartar that brushing can’t do on its own.
Teeth Cleaning Services in Boynton Beach
A professional teeth cleaning is important for maintaining the best possible oral health. It also helps to prevent dental issues. While regular brushing and flossing are important components of your oral health, they don’t always remove harmful bacteria, plaque, and tartar.
Eriks Dental Group offers teeth cleaning services as well as deep dental cleanings. Our team recommends that every patient schedules a teeth cleaning at least twice a year. Deep dental cleanings are used for patients with periodontal disease and should be done every three to four months. This helps the disease from continuing to progress, which can lead to gum recession and loss of jawbone.
To schedule an appointment at our dental office for a dental exam or teeth cleaning with our Boynton Beach dentist, call our team at 561-733-4004. We are committed to offering comprehensive dentistry services to Boynton Beach and all the surrounding communities.