Dental Cleaning Kennewick, WA

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At Tri City Dental Care we believe there’s nothing like a proper dental cleaning on your pearly whites to help you regain that true smile and confidence. However, cleaning your teeth has far more reaching effects than that. Read on to find out why you need to clean your teeth regularly, what to expect during the procedure and when to go get a dental cleaning.

What is a Dental Cleaning?

Dental cleaning is a procedure that is performed by a dental hygienist to remove tartar from the teeth. This procedure does not target specific areas in your teeth but removes the tartar from below and above the part where the teeth meet the gums. The removal of the tartar helps to prevent gum disease, which can cause your teeth to swell up uncomfortably.

Why Is It So Important?

While it is still important to maintain proper oral hygiene through flossing and thoroughly brushing your teeth daily, the importance of dental cleaning can’t and shouldn’t be overlooked. Here are a few of the benefits that can be derived from regular dental cleanings:

It Improves Your Health

Having your teeth cleaned can significantly impact your overall physiological health, helping to prevent ailments that are associated with the buildup of tartar such as bone loss, gum disease, certain forms of cancers and many others.

It Can Help to Prevent Disease

Routine dental cleaning can help to prevent the spread of oral cancer through early detection, and it can also prevent tooth loss and gum disease. Now, one of the first signs of gum disease is bleeding gums and should be a clear warning that your teeth need to be cleaned.

Research further shows that there is a strong link between poor gum health and the occurrence of strokes and cardiovascular disease. Therefore, cleaning your gums and teeth thoroughly through dental cleaning can significantly decrease your chances of experiencing these ailments.

Early Detection

Routine dental cleanings can also help your dentist spot dental problems like fractures on your teeth and broken fillings before they cause major problems.

Boosts Self-esteem

Dental cleaning will brighten your smile by removing the discoloration and stains on your teeth, thus, boosting your self-esteem in the process.

Boost immunity

Dental cleanings can also boost your immunity because the presence of tartar buildup on the gums causes your immune system to go on overdrive in trying to fight off the ‘invader,’ aka the tartar, on a constant basis.

Keep Track of Your Dental Health

When you go for a regular dental cleaning, your dentist can track the state of your oral health on an ongoing basis, to take the right measures if things are not going well.

What to Expect

Everyone who hasn’t done a dental cleaning wonders what it would be like, as there are many misconceptions out there about the procedure. Well, here’s what should be expected when going for a dental cleaning:

Initial Examination

First, your dentist will perform a few tests to analyze the health of your gums and see if there are any irregularities to your oral health so that they can recommend or provide treatment for that. Should they find the existence of gum disease or cavities in your teeth, your dentist will most likely recommend further treatment sessions to follow after the dental cleaning session.

Next, your dentist or dental hygienist will then ask you questions regarding your oral health – this is a good time to ask them questions about the procedure if you have any.

After that, your dentist will take digital x-rays of your entire mouth, including your teeth, to get a thorough examination of your oral health. This also helps them to spot any potential issues they might have missed with the initial examination, like tumors and cysts, bone loss and other oral abnormalities.

Removal of Tartar

Using an instrument known as a scaler, the oral hygienist will remove tartar and even plaque along the gums and even in between your teeth. You will then be asked to rinse your mouth with water to further remove any remaining bits of tartar and you might notice a little bit of blood coming from your gums, as well. They might feel a bit sore afterward, but that’s all normal and should dissipate in no time.

Polishing

The next step is for your oral hygienist to polish your teeth, as this will make it harder for plaque to stick to your teeth again and is also great for removing any stains that have been left behind. This part of the procedure is done using a special kind of power brush and toothpaste, with a gritty texture which thoroughly cleans the teeth so that they look sleek and polished when done.

Specialized Flossing

Afterwards, the hygienist will floss your teeth to remove plaque and may even find a few problem areas that you’ll have to pay closer attention to during your own daily oral routine.

Fluoride

Lastly, your dentist will then treat your teeth with fluoride to fortify them against the development of cavities until your next dental cleaning. This procedure is performed by inserting a specialized mouthpiece that contains the fluoride in either foam or gel form, which will stay on your teeth for approximately one minute.

After that, you are allowed to rinse out your mouth with clean water to remove any remaining fluoride. This last step is often performed when there’s a potential risk of tooth decay and is not necessary, as most people are regularly exposed to fluoride in any case, through regular toothpaste, mouthwash, and tap water.

Final Examination

After the cleaning is concluded, your dentist will check your x-rays and perform one last examination on your teeth and even your gingival pockets to check for any remaining issues. Should there be any concerns, your dentist will discuss them with you and chart a way forward. After that, your dental cleaning will be complete.

When to Get Professional Dental Cleaning

When is the right time to get a professional dental cleaning? This is another commonly asked question when it comes to this procedure. According to the American Dental Association, your best bet is to go for dental cleaning once every year to avoid major issues in your oral health, which might affect other organs in your body.

Conclusion

Getting your teeth professionally cleaned each year is important to maintaining optimal health. This not only benefits your teeth and gums but other parts of your body as well because everything is connected after all. Dental cleaning does not take up much time and is a mostly painless procedure that ultimately leads to healthier gums and sparkling white teeth that you can be proud of.

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