As dentists, we cannot stress enough on the importance of good oral hygiene. It’s important to know how crucial oral health is for overall health and wellness. Neglecting your dental health can lead to various issues. You may know the common ones like tooth decay, gum disease, and halitosis. But bad oral health can even cause heart disease.
The simplest step to maintaining good oral hygiene is by visiting the dentist for a regular dental cleaning. Also called oral prophylaxis, this treatment helps maintain gum health. important to maintain a good level of oral hygiene. However, a deep cleaning session must be done atleast twice a year. These sessions are important to remove any accumulation of food particles in places that regular teeth cleaning methods can’t reach.
In this article, we will explain the importance of oral hygiene and how regular and deep cleaning can help you maintain a beautiful and healthy smile.
Regular dental cleaning
The American Dental Association (ADA) recommends two visits to the dentist every year for a regular cleaning. Even with the best dental hygiene habits, bacteria tend to accumulate on our teeth over time. Over time, this turns into plaque buildup, cavities and gum disease.
A dentist’s role during the regular cleaning session is to remove plaque and tartar buildup from your teeth and gums using special tools. At Singh Dental Center, we also show you proper brushing and flossing techniques to help you maintain good oral hygiene at home. Depending on the patient’s present dental hygiene, we may apply fluoride to your teeth, as it helps strengthen and protect your teeth against decay.
Deep Dental Cleaning
Deep cleaning, also known as scaling and root planning, removes plaque and tartar build-up below the gum line. Your dentist would recommend it to patients suffering from gum disease. Often, we would see such patients have significant plaque and tartar build-up, as well as deep pockets between teeth and gums. Deep cleaning sessions are done in multiple appointments with the help of local anesthesia to numb the area being worked on.
After a deep cleaning cleaning, it’s normal to feel minor discomfort or gum bleeding. Deep cleaning is done in two stages:
- Scaling – your dentist removes plaque and tartar below the gum line, all the way to the bottom of the periodontal pocket.
- Root planing – the next step is to smooth out the tooth root surface. This allows the connective gum tissue to reattach to the tooth root. This helps keep your teeth intact.
Regular dental cleaning and deep cleaning are both critical for good oral health. We wrote this to help you understand that they serve different purposes. While regular dental cleaning helps maintain oral health, deep cleaning is to treat gum disease and preventing further complications.
To ensure you receive the dental care you need, it’s crucial to consult with a dental professional. At Singh Dental Center, we offer both regular dental cleaning and deep cleaning services. Our team of experienced dental professionals is dedicated to providing high-quality dental care in a safe and comfortable environment.