There is nothing better in the world than the feeling you have after you come from a professional dental cleaning appointment. Even though you brush and floss every day, the squeaky clean you feel after Dr. Shields has removed every last bit of plaque and tartar, and polished your teeth with her amazing oscillating tool is unparalleled. It is also the key in keeping your mouth healthy and decay and disease free.

Why Is It So Important To Have My Teeth Professionally Cleaned?

Brushing and flossing at home are the two most important things you can do to prevent tooth decay and periodontal disease. However, scheduling a twice yearly appointment with Dr. Shields is at the top of that list too. It’s not just a good deep cleaning we perform here at your Jacksonville dental office, it’s much more than that. Sitting down in a dental chair every six months allows our dental hygienists to examine your mouth and help identify any areas that may be causing you harm. Detecting periodontal disease and tooth decay before they become severe issues is what we’re trained to do. By stopping plaque at the source, we can prevent some extremely serious illnesses that have been linked to periodontal disease.

How Does it Work

Removal of Plaque – Keeping a strict schedule of brushing and flossing is extremely important for removing bacteria and plaque from the surface of the teeth and gums. But bacteria is everywhere in your mouth, including below the gumline. Trips for a professional dental cleaning are essential to ensure that all the periodontal disease and tooth decay causing plaque is removed from your mouth on a regular basis. Dental hygienists are able to remove plaque and tartar from below your gumline and in between your teeth where your toothbrush and floss can’t reach. By removing all the plaque and bacteria from your entire mouth, we can also help alleviate a symptom of the early stages of periodontal disease, bad breath.

Polishing – People who are proud of their smiles take the time to take care of their smiles and smile more. We love to reward our patients with a tooth polish during their routine cleaning. After we’ve removed all the plaque and bacteria and provided an enamel-strengthening fluoride treatment we get to work polishing those pearly whites. Polishing removes surface stains and gives you that squeaky clean feeling you love when you leave. If you would like to remove deeper stains, let us know and we can be prepared to send you home with a tooth whitening treatment, or provide one for you during your appointment. Aside from the routine polish, tooth whitening gets those smiles sparkling like the sun.

Prevention

When it comes down to it, a routine dental cleaning is really all about prevention of tooth decay and periodontal disease. During your exam, we will see how at risk you are for developing cavities, and periodontal disease. Cavities can be prevented with a topical fluoride treatment only a dentist can provide. Fluoride can remineralize the enamel of your tooth and encourage the teeth to resists decay after they have been fortified again. By seeing your Jacksonville dentist twice yearly you can catch a cavity before it develops into a more serious case of tooth decay. You will be able to have if filled with composite resin rather than needing a root canal to alleviate pain.

More serious however, is the prevention of periodontal disease. Periodontal disease is infection and inflammation of the gums and surrounding tissues caused by bacteria and plaque. Recently it has been linked to extremely serious, chronic diseases including cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s, pancreatic cancer, kidney disease, esophageal cancer, and many more. Seeing your dentist every six months can help you prevent this disease from developing. More importantly you’re constantly monitoring your gum tissue, which helps you prevent these diseases and keeps your mouth healthy.

If you haven’t had your teeth professionally cleaned in the last six months, call and make  your appointment today. If it has been even longer than that, we would love to see you too. Our favorite part of being your preferred Jacksonville dentist is knowing that our professional cleanings are helping our patients live healthier lives full of smiles!