Possible Consequences of Skipping a Dental Cleaning and Check-Up

Professional dental cleaning goes a long way when it comes to keeping your teeth and gums healthy. These are straightforward preventative treatments that are used to remove plaque and tartar from teeth surfaces. Tartar is the calcified version of plaque, and it cannot be removed by brushing. A tool called a scaler is used to get rid of tartar deposits.

Consequences of not getting regular dental cleanings

Some people do not go in for their biannual dental cleanings due to a fear of dentists, while others simply do not see these treatments as important. People who fall into the habit of regularly missing dental appointments might find themselves dealing with issues like:

1. Gum disease

Gum disease is one of the most common oral problems dentists deal with, and it affects about 50% of the adult population in the U.S. Gum disease is caused by plaque and tartar getting into gum pockets and infecting them. The body’s response to these invading germs leads to bleeding, irritation, and infection.

When left untreated, gum disease leads to teeth becoming loose or falling out due to their support structures being damaged. Gum disease is one of the leading causes of tooth loss. To make things worse, gum disease has also been linked to some health issues like diabetes and heart disease. Teeth cleaning goes a long way when it comes to preventing gum disease, and it can help to reverse the early stage of gum disease called gingivitis.

2. Tooth decay

Tooth decay is another common issue dentists deal with and dental cleanings help to protect against it. Tartar houses bacteria that damage teeth and it provides a safe home for them since brushing or flossing cannot remove it. That means these germs are free to create acids that damage teeth all day long when teeth are covered in tartar deposits.

Dental cleaning helps to prevent decay and makes it easier to detect developing cavities. The early stages of decay can be treated with simple procedures like fluoride treatment or fillings, but the advanced stages might require more complicated treatments like a root canal or extracting the tooth. Treating the advanced stages of tooth decay also costs significantly more.

3. Stained teeth

Tartar is more prone to staining than real teeth, which often leads to people with tartar deposits on their teeth picking up surface stains. This ruins the way their smile looks, and it can make them feel self-conscious. Tartar deposits on teeth also make them look like they have not been cleaned properly. That can lead to people making negative assumptions about a person’s hygiene. Removing tartar from teeth surfaces leads to improvements in the way a person’s teeth look. Most surface stains on teeth should be gone after professional cleaning.

Get your teeth cleaned

You can avoid all the things listed above by simply getting teeth cleanings as recommended by a dentist. Call or stop by our Woodstock clinic to set up an appointment with our dentist.

Request an appointment here: https://www.dentistryforwoodstock.com or call Dentistry for Woodstock at (770) 238-1437 for an appointment in our Woodstock office.

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