How Often Do I Need a Dental Cleaning and Exam?

Brushing and flossing twice a day helps fight problems like tooth decay. However, a successful oral hygiene routine includes much more than merely cleaning your teeth every day at home. Visiting your dentist frequently helps the professional look for other problems in your mouth or oral health issues you might think will not affect you.

If you aren’t aware of how often you need dental exams and cleanings, this article provides an overview of the routine care you need. Please continue reading to learn more about caring for your oral health.

How Often Are Dental Cleanings Necessary?

You must visit your dentist at least once in 12 months, recommends the Canadian dental Association. The visits are aimed to receive a routine exam and cleaning. If you have a history of gum disease, your dentist might recommend you get frequent teeth cleanings to prevent its recurrence or illness.

How often you visit the dentist near me in Salmon Arm, BC, depends on your individual requirements and dental health. Therefore you must check with your dentist for their recommendation for exams and cleanings.

The Importance of Regular Dental Care Services

Dental cleanings are not to provide you with a bright and gleaming smile. When you maintain regular visits to your dentist for exams, the professional can detect various problems, and the procedure is essential for the upkeep of your general oral health.

Frequent cleaning hygiene and preventive visits indicate whether you have cavities, tooth decay, gum disease, bad breath, and chipped or broken.

The regular visits to your dentist for exams might also reveal significant problems like oral cancers, tumours, and other conditions not visible to the naked eye. Dentists use 3D imaging to get a clear understanding of any oral health issues in your mouth before they aggravate.

Visiting the same dentist every time is also beneficial because the dentist knows your history well and identifies issues quickly.

What to Expect During Your Exams and Cleanings?

The dentist starts your exam with a review of your medical history. Please provide information on any new concerns or conditions bothering you or whether you take any new medications. The data is vital for your dentist because it helps them determine whether you need any additional exams during your appointment. It also helps the professional determine the frequency of dental cleanings they must recommend every year.

Following your medical history, the dentist performs a physical exam and takes diagnostic x-rays to identify tooth decay, tumours, bone loss, and other serious issues. The physical exam is conducted after reviewing the x-rays. The exam includes a visual look for tooth decay besides examining your face, tongue, lips, and gums, screening for oral cancer and gum disease.

The dental hygienist takes over from the dentist after the exam to clean your teeth. If you think the cleaning isn’t necessary, you will be surprised by looking at how much plaque and tartar the hygienist removes from your teeth and below the gum line. Tartar is hardened plaque challenging to remove by brushing, and plaque is a sticky film produced by bacteria.

After your teeth are free from plaque and tartar, they receive a polishing with gritty toothpaste and an electric toothbrush to remove excess plaque remaining between your teeth and give you a brighter-looking smile by smoothening the surface of the teeth. You also receive an expert flossing demonstration after the polishing. All your teeth are flossed by an expert to remove any excess debris.

After your teeth receive a skillful cleaning, the dentist performs a final physical exam. The final exam ensures your teeth are clean and smooth and your overall dental is optimal. The dentist discusses your oral hygiene routine and dietary habits and recommends changes if required. They also suggest the date for your next visit, which in most cases is once in six months. However, if you are in excellent oral health, you might benefit from one visit every year. People with issues like periodontal disease need more frequent visits to their dentist to maintain a condition they could have comfortably prevented.

Everyone, including children, needs dental exams and cleanings twice a year regardless of their oral hygiene regimen. The exams help detect various issues and the cleanings allow you to have a brighter smile.

Montebello Dental Clinic recommends routine exams and cleanings for patients every six months or a year unless you have severe issues in your mouth that needs frequent attention. If you haven’t had your exam recently, kindly schedule an appointment with this practice to receive the preventive measure.