You may remember having frequent dental appointments as a child, but how often should adults get their teeth cleaned? For many people, twice-a-year dental appointments are enough to maintain a healthy mouth. However, everyone has different dental needs.
At Country Club Dental, we’re dedicated to helping our patients maintain clean, healthy mouths all year round with personalized, preventative dental care. Continue reading to find out how often you should get your teeth cleaned to prevent tooth decay and gum disease.
Why Are Regular Teeth Cleanings Important?
Although following a good oral hygiene routine is essential for a healthy mouth, there’s only so much that at-home dental care can do. There are plenty of places in your mouth that your toothbrush and floss simply can’t reach. Regular professional dental cleanings are necessary to remove plaque buildup from your teeth and gums that you can’t remove yourself.
Routine teeth cleanings are short, non-invasive dental appointments that help reduce your risk of tooth decay and gum disease. During your appointment, your dental hygienist will remove plaque and tartar from your teeth, then polish the surface of your teeth and floss them.
Your dentist will then take a look at your mouth and check for any signs of cavities, gum disease, oral cancer, and other dental conditions. If needed, your dentist might suggest applying a fluoride treatment to your teeth to strengthen their enamel.
However, if you already have advanced gum disease, you may need a deep cleaning in addition to your routine teeth cleanings. A deep dental cleaning, also known as root planing and scaling, gets rid of the plaque, tartar, and bacteria below your gumline.
How Often Should You Get Your Teeth Cleaned?
How often you should get your teeth professionally cleaned depends on your dental health needs. On average, dentists recommend that you schedule a teeth cleaning every six months to receive the most benefits for your oral health.
However, if you have a higher risk of gum disease because you smoke, have dry mouth, or another risk factor, you may need to visit the dentist as often as every three or four months. On the other hand, some people are much less prone to dental problems, and they may only need to schedule appointments every nine to twelve months.
The best way to determine how often you should get your teeth cleaned is by discussing it with your dentist. If it’s been more than six months since your last appointment, you should schedule a dental cleaning as soon as possible.
Tips for Taking Care of Teeth Between Dental Cleaning Appointments
To protect your teeth and gums between dental appointments, make sure to:
- Brush your teeth twice a day for two minutes at a time
- Floss your teeth gently every day
- Use fluoride mouthwash after flossing
- Eat a healthy diet
- Drink plenty of water
- Quit smoking
- Drink alcohol only in moderation
- Choose sugar-free gum
Schedule a Teeth Cleaning in Flagstaff
If you’re due for a cleaning or would like to discuss how often you should get your teeth cleaned, contact Country Club Dental. We provide thorough, gentle teeth cleanings to our neighbors in and around Flagstaff, Arizona. We’re also happy to work with you to ensure you’re getting the most out of your dental insurance benefits, which typically cover two dental cleaning appointments a year. Call us at 928-526-4314 today to schedule an appointment.
Images used under creative commons license – commercial use (8/17/2022). Photo by Anna Shvets on Pexels
