Dental Cleanings
San Antonio, TX
 How often have you heard the recommendation to brush and floss your teeth every day? These habits are quite important for maintaining a healthy mouth. Even if you follow the recommendations set forth by the ADA when it comes to home oral care, professional preventative care is also still very important. Advanced Dental Associates can help you to maintain your oral health with professional cleanings.
Why Do I Need Cleanings?
No matter how well you brush and floss your teeth at home, professional dental cleanings are still highly recommended. This is because even if you brush twice a day for two minutes and floss at least once a day, there are some areas of your teeth that you might not be able to clean properly. This leads to a buildup of plaque and bacteria, which can then contribute to serious issues. The plaque can harden into calculus or tartar. The bacteria can erode your enamel, leading to cavities. You may develop gum disease. With cleanings, our expert dental hygienists can get rid of the buildup from every surface, which helps you to prevent complications and maintain a healthy mouth.
How Often Should I Have My Teeth Cleaned?
To help you maintain optimal oral health, the ADA recommends that you have your teeth professionally cleaned, as well as examined, at least twice a year. These recommendations are the same, regardless of how well you brush and floss at home. Your cleanings are meant to be an additional preventative measure against the development of oral health issues.
What Happens During a Professional Cleaning?
Your dental cleaning is a simple procedure. It is non-invasive and is meant to be pain-free. It begins with the use of a tool known as a scaler. This tool is used to remove plaque and tartar buildup from your teeth, including along the gum line and the areas between your teeth. In addition to plaque and tartar removal, we are also able to remove tartar, or calculus expertly. This hardened plaque cannot be removed with regular brushing. Without removal, it can help to collect additional plaque and bacteria.
Following scaling, we polish your teeth. This is done with a dental polisher and a special polish. The polisher has a round rubber head that rotates rapidly to rub the polish on your teeth. The polish itself has abrasive ingredients that help to scrub the surfaces of your teeth, leaving them smooth, bright, and clean.
We also have the option to use the ultrasonic scaler, which uses ultrasonic vibrations to help break down the plaque and calculus on the teeth that cause gingivitis.
The last thing we do for your cleaning is to floss your teeth. This helps to remove anything stuck between your teeth. It does not matter if you floss before your appointment. The extra flossing is not harmful. It can only serve to help you. Moreover, it can also help to remove any loose or lingering debris that may have been left behind during your cleaning.
Cleanings Do More Than Keep Your Mouth Healthy
The goal of professional cleanings is to help maintain your oral health. However, this isn’t all that they do. By removing bacteria and plaque, cleanings help to freshen your breath. Polishing your teeth helps to remove surface stains, leaving your smile brighter. By preventing oral health issues, cleanings help to prevent the need for potentially invasive and expensive dental work. This helps you to save money.
If you are due for your next cleaning, or it has been a long time since your last one, contact Advanced Dental Associates at (210) 714-5589 to schedule your appointment today!
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