While homecare is absolutely vital to our oral health, it is also important to attend professional cleanings with regularity. These cleanings permit professionals to clean and examine your teeth and give your feedback about your homecare habits and the state of your oral health. To learn more about the benefits of attending your regular dental cleaning, read the following information from your Brighton dentist, Dr. Thomas Villani.
Dental Cleanings and Plaque Removal
A major contributor to tooth decay, plaque can be very difficult to remove from teeth with only a toothbrush and dental floss. Thankfully, hygienists have the training and equipment necessary to remove this stubborn, sticky substance. Using special tools, hygienists can scrape away bacteria-ridden plaque and tartar (hardened plaque) to eliminate significant threats to your oral health. By attending a dental cleaning once every six months or more often if deemed necessary, you can ensure that plaque is not permitted to linger on your teeth, thereby preventing the progress of tooth decay.
Dental Cleanings and Fresh Breath
If you are struggling with bad breath, it is important to know its source. Barring some exceptional circumstances, bad breath is typically the result of oral bacteria. Thus, in order to eliminate bad breath, you need to eliminate the bacteria responsible for it. However, simply brushing and flossing your teeth may not be enough, and as bad breath persists, you may be tempted to chew gum or mints in order to achieve fresh breath. Unfortunately, gums and mints typically contain sugar, meaning that you will actually be feeding oral bacteria rather than removing them. Therefore, if you are struggling to attain fresh breath, a dental cleaning may be a good option. If plaque and tartar are attached to your teeth, the dental cleaning can remove them, thus removing oral bacteria from an otherwise permanent place on your teeth.
Schedule a Dental Cleaning with Your Brighton Dentist
Have you attended a dental cleaning in the past six months? If not, you are due for a visit. Contact your Brighton dentist, Dr. Villani, to schedule an appointment or a consultation by calling Brighton Family Dental Group at (617) 562-5210. We proudly serve patients from Watertown, Cambridge, Brookline, Newton, Brighton, and the 02135 area.
