Dental cleanings are a part of routine preventive dental care. A cleaning should be combined with a dental exam and X-rays. Together, the exam, x-rays, and cleaning offer the patient a chance to enjoy a healthy mouth and save money in the long run. Dr. Christopher Layton and our team invite you to learn more by clicking the link below:
- Bone Grafts
- Bridges
- Complete Dentures
- Deep Cleanings
- Dental Cleanings for Adults
- Dental Cleanings for Children
- Dental Implant Placement
- Dental Implant Restoration
- Digital X-Rays
- Extractions
- Laser Assisted Periodontal Therapy
- Laughing Gas
- Night Guards
- Orthodontic Retainers
- Orthodontics
- Partial Dentures
- Pediatric Dentistry
- Porcelain Dental Crowns
- Porcelain-Fused-to-Metal Dental Crowns
- Root Canal
- Sedation
- White Fillings
The cleaning is important because it will remove any calcified bacteria and stain on the teeth. If left alone for longer than 24 hours, bacteria can form a colony in your mouth and become much more destructive. After 24 hours, the bacteria that die can start to take up calcium from your saliva and become calcified. Once calcified, the colony can no longer be brushed off with a tooth brush or dental floss. Calcified bacteria is called calculus or tarter. Calculus is much like an apartment building for bacteria, where they are safe from your tooth brush. So, when the dentist or hygienist cleans your teeth, they are removing all the built-up calculus and bacterial stain that has formed since your last cleaning. If left alone, these colonies of bacteria will create a condition of infection in your mouth known as gingivitis, then periodontal disease. Periodontal disease leads to receding gums, then loose teeth, then no teeth all together. That is why the dental profession recommends even someone with a healthy mouth should have a professional dental cleaning every six months.
Our dentist and team perform an exam when we clean teeth to check for cavities. Cavities, if caught early, can be easily treated with a simple filling. If you wait until you can feel the pain of decay, then it is probably too late keep the tooth alive. Time is everything. That is why the dental profession recommends a dental exam every six months to a year.
Since we cannot see everything with our eyes, we use X-rays to see into the tooth structure. With X-rays, we can see even small cavities between the flossing contact of the teeth. Calavera Hills Dental uses the technological advancement of digital X-rays to greatly reduce the exposure needed to create a clear picture. Our patients really appreciate this reduction since the dental profession recommends new X-rays be taken at least every year to prevent large tooth decay.
If more than six months have passed since your last visit to the dentist, we encourage you to contact our office at 760-842-5876 and schedule your next professional teeth cleaning in Carlsbad, California.
