How Often Should You Get Dental Cleanings and Exams?

Does it ever bother you that you need to visit your dentist more than once a year? Many people do not prioritize dental cleanings and exams because they are yet to understand the value of excelling in oral health. Ideally, you cannot rely on your oral hygiene routines at home for excellent dental health. Involving your dentist in your oral health journey is the best way to get it right. Unfortunately, many people only visit a dentist when they have dental emergencies. The danger is you will have incurred several oral problems, some permanent.

What Are Dental Cleanings and Exams?

They are dental protocols in preventive dentistry that preserve good oral health. Dental exams and cleanings near you are often one oral package, but they can be done separately.

Dental cleanings entail professionally cleaning your oral cavity. The purpose of dental cleanings is to remove plaque and tartar from teeth’ surfaces, optimizing oral hygiene. Excellent oral hygiene minimizes the risk of oral-related infections. Routine dental exams typically entail teeth brushing, flossing, and fluoride treatment. However, if it is your first time, you need a more thorough deep cleaning. The dentist Hiram will include root planing and scaling to remove tartar and plaque from your teeth’ surfaces.

Dental exams are tests that dentists conduct to evaluate the state of your oral cavity. Dental exams entail physical and digital tests that analyze your oral cavity’s external and internal framework. If it is your first time, the dentist must conduct digital tests like dental x-rays and ultrasounds for your dental exam. However, routine dental exams do not always need digital tests unless for diagnosing underlying oral problems.

Why Do You Need Routine Dental Cleanings and Exams?

While you may not appreciate making several trips to our dental offices at Garrettsville Dental Group, they benefit your dental health tremendously. Some of the benefits of regular dental cleanings and exams are:

1. Preventing dental infections – bacteria overgrowth in your mouth can lead to infections of the gums or teeth. Dental cleanings rid your mouth of plaque and tartar, responsible for various oral infections like periodontitis or dental cavities.
2. Detecting dental problems early – catching oral problems in their early stages prevents permanent consequences. Regular dental exams allow your dentist to evaluate your oral cavity and detect any anomalies.
3. Curbing negative oral habits – you may not know the impact of poor oral habits on your dental health until you take up regular dental exams. It is only after a dentist has examined your oral cavity that (s)he can determine you need habit counseling. Afterward, dental experts can substitute bad oral habits like fingernail biting, teeth grinding, and clenching for good ones. Habit counseling is especially crucial for children and teenagers. Besides, it takes more than one dental visit for a dentist to track the changes in your dental habits.
4. Catching other health problems – did you know that a dentist near you can diagnose general health problems? Dentists can notify you of certain health issues like cancer, hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, and sleep apnea.
5. Keeping teeth white – if you are concerned with your smile’s aesthetics, then the color of your teeth should be important to you. Maintaining bright white teeth entails more than one teeth bleaching treatment. Routine dental exams ensure that stains don’t form on your newly whitened teeth.
6. Encouraging good oral health – dental exams and cleanings in Garrettsville, OH, are the perfect addition to your oral routines at home for maintaining great oral health. The professional services should not substitute your oral care measures at home but rather complement them.
7. Prevent future restorative expenses – unless you are proactive with your oral health, you will eventually need reparative treatments to restore your smile.

How Frequent is too Frequent to Visit Your Dentist?

Dental visits for routine cleanings and exams should happen every three to six months. Still, the frequency of your dental visits can differ from that of another patient. It depends on your underlying needs, among other factors. For example, should you encounter a dental emergency two weeks after a dental visit, you should not hesitate to reach out to your dentist in Garrettsville, OH.