Dental exams and cleanings are essential for maintaining your oral health and preventing dental problems. The dentist will clean your teeth and check them for cavities during these visits. The dentist also inspects and monitors other aspects of your oral health to help detect, stop, and maintain any serious health issue.

Teeth cleanings are the best way to maintain a bright smile and fresh breath as well as help improve and support your overall health. But most of the time, people overlook this important aspect.

And we all know professional teeth cleaning is a procedure aimed at performing overall mouth cleaning at the dentist’s office. So, to get a better knowledge on the same, read further!

How many times should you get your teeth cleaned by a dentist? 

Properly brushing your teeth is part of the oral care routine but timely getting them cleaned by a dentist is a different thing. It can be a game changer for your overall health as well. Therefore, it is vital to visit your dentist often.

Dental cleanings should be performed every six months, according to some dentists. In this way, your dentist can check your teeth for cavities and gingivitis and recommend any treatments that are needed.

There are a lot of studies that show people who visit a dental clinic at regular intervals or twice in 6 months have better oral health than those who do not. 

Though, getting dental cleaning done also depends on your oral health insurance scheme. Most of these insurances cover six-monthly dental checkups. But if not, then you can visit your dentist to get your mouth cleaned whenever you feel it’s necessary. 

What to expect when you visit your dentist for a dental cleaning?

Below given are some points that show what exactly happens when you visit your dentist for oral cleaning sessions: 

• Examining your medical history: Dentists can develop a better picture of both your dental and overall health when they are aware of any current medical conditions, drugs, and illnesses.
• Analyzing diagnostic radiographs: Next is analyzing radiographs or x-rays, which is crucial for finding bone loss, tumors, and cysts. The position of the tooth and root can also be determined using X-rays.
• Screening for oral cancer: During this procedure, the dentist looks for any signs of oral cancer on the neck, face, tongue, lips, tissues, throat, and gums.
• Evaluation of gum disease: The bones and the gums around will be examined for signs of periodontal disease by your oral health care provider.
• Dental decay examination: With special dental instruments, the dentist will check all surfaces of the teeth for decay.
• Plaque removal: Plaque forms on teeth and is sticky and almost invisible. The organism consists of living bacteria, saliva, and food debris. Inflammation of the gums is caused by toxins produced by these bacteria. Symptoms of periodontal disease begin with this inflammation.
• Inspection of existing restorations: If you have any existing fillings, crowns, etc., your dentist will also check that to ensure it is in place.
• Teeth polishing: In this process, the dentist eliminates plaque and stains that are not eliminated by brushing and scaling alone.

Why do you need to get your teeth cleaned? 

The main reason to get your overall dental cleaning done are: 

• It brightens your smile
• Prevent any cavity or infection from happening
• Prevent tooth loss
• Controls bad breath
• Boost your overall health
• Prevent plaque or tartar build-up
• Prevent discoloration 
• Helps detect any oral care problem at an early stage etc.

Lastly, we hope after reading this article, you will be getting your dental cleaning done every six months or twice a year to prevent any oral care diseases.