Every year thousands of individuals get their teeth cleaned twice a year by a professional hygienist. This helps ensure what you are doing at home is working and/or you will receive tips on how to improve your hygiene care at home. A hygienist will also let you know if there are any areas of your mouth that you need to pay special attention to for gum disease or cavities.

Regular deep cleanings by a profession will help prevent gum disease, tooth decay, bad breath, cavities, gum loss, tooth loss, etc. A deep cleaning and check up with your hygienist ensures your smile stays bright and white, while reinforcing your overall health.

Deep cleanings are highly important to your oral hygiene and overall health. The following list outlines some of the reasons why you need to have a cleaning scheduled every six months.

1. Prevent Cavities

One of the easiest ways to prevent cavities is to brush your teeth on a routine basis two to three times a day. However, having a deep cleaning performed twice a year will help get the hard to reach places for plaque build-up.

Flossing is the second thing you should be doing daily. Brushing your teeth will not get the trapped food out from between your teeth, but flossing will. Therefore, it is important that you add this to your routine as well.

2. Prevent Gum Disease and Tooth Loss

Most often, gum disease is due to plaque build-up from not having adequate oral hygiene habits. By including a twice a year deep cleaning, you will be able to reduce your chance of gum disease. A deep cleaning will help get rid of the built up plaque that you cannot reach on your own.

During your deep cleaning you will also get a fluoride treatment. This will help protect you against tooth decay by fighting off the acid from plaque. Although you do get some fluoride through water and foods, having a specialized treatment performed by your hygienist helps keep your enamel in tip top shape.

3. Prevent Heart Disease and Other Health Risks

Studies have shown that there is a link between oral health and your overall physical health. The studies state that the better oral health you have the less risk you have of heart disease. The fact is, periodontal disease is not reversible and is the reason you need to stay on top of your oral hygiene. Bad bacteria in your mouth can affect your entire body. This is why regular checkups by a hygienist are important and you need to continue to ensure the health of your oral care is intact. Just as you would a physical with a family physician.

4. Tartar

Tartar is another reason why you need to see a dental hygienist on a regular basis. Tartar is left over plaque that you did not get while brushing or flossing. It hardens and turns into tartar. Hygienist have tools to remove tartar from our teeth that we do not have. This is sometimes called scaling. Removing plaque and tartar allows us to avoid cavities and gum disease.

Individuals have a different level of susceptibility to tartar, so not everyone will have tartar as bad as others.

These are just some of the more common reasons why getting deep cleanings are important. Your oral hygiene affects your life in many ways and these cleanings help make sure you have a bright, beautiful smile. Cleanings also ensure you have good breath, reliant teeth and that your gums are in healthy condition.