Anchorage Dental Cleanings
It is recommended that you visit the dentist every six months for a routine cleaning and dental exam. At All About Smiles Dental, this visit will include a thorough exam, x-rays (taken once a year), and a high-tech professional cleaning to improve your health, prevent disease, and enhance the appearance of your smile. During this appointment, every effort will be made to ensure you are well informed of your oral health. We want your teeth, gums, and whole body to benefit from your hygiene appointments.
The Professional Cleaning Procedure
Because everyone’s teeth are a little different, your cleaning will be tailored to your particular needs. However, many cleanings follow the same pattern:
- Remove Plaque and Calculus – Using a tool called a scaler, your dental hygienist will remove harmful plaque and calculus from between teeth and along your gum line. This method will allow us to clean off calculus that cannot be removed through normal brushing and flossing.
- High-Powered Brushing – Your dental hygienist will then utilize a high-powered electrical toothbrush and gritty toothpaste for a deep cleaning and polishing on each individual tooth, removing any remaining stains and tartar that could wreak havoc on your oral health over time.
- Expert Flossing – Removing plaque and food debris from between the teeth is critical for preventing decay and gingivitis. A professional flossing will remove particles from between the teeth that even the most avid flossers may have missed.
- Fluoride Treatment – To protect your teeth from decay and sustain the benefits of your professional cleaning for several months, your dental hygienist may provide a fluoride treatment. This fluoride gel will simply be “painted” onto your teeth and remain there for a couple of hours.
Why You Should Schedule a Cleaning Every Six Months
While a professional cleaning only takes 30 minutes to an hour, the benefits of the preventative treatment are long-lasting. If you’re looking for a little extra incentive to schedule your biannual cleaning, consider these reasons:
- Improve you overall health – Your oral health and overall well-being are intrinsically linked. For example, gum disease can lead to severe issues like heart disease, respiratory illness, and others. By scheduling your regular cleaning, you can prevent and diagnose health issues before they begin.
- Prevent disease – Hidden plaque and bacteria on your teeth can cause gum disease. Regular cleaning appointments prevent plaque from building up and causing gingivitis, an infection of the gums that leads to gum disease.
- Eliminate calculus buildup – When plaque has been left on your teeth for too long, it turns to a dark-tinted deposit on your teeth known as calculus or tartar. Unfortunately, calculus cannot be brushed away with a toothbrush, but must be removed by a professional during your cleaning.
- Fight tooth decay – Over time, the harmful acids released by plaque can lead to tooth decay. If left untreated, this decay can become both painful and costly. A professional cleaning will eliminate this plaque before it can become problematic.
- Save money – Regular cleanings allow you to prevent having to receive costly restorative procedures like gum disease treatments, root canals, and more. A pain-free preventative cleaning can save you a lot of money in the long run!
- Enhance your smile – A healthy smile is a beautiful smile! Professional cleanings will remove harmful calculus and unpleasant stains to give you a smile you can be proud of.
