We know that it can be tough to make time for dental treatment in your life, but professional dental cleanings are paramount to maintaining a healthy smile. Our Santa Monica dental team encourages you to keep up with your dentist-recommended schedule of semi-annual dental cleanings (if you should be following a different timeline/schedule your dentist will let you know).
Here are some key reasons why professional cleanings are so important:
First and foremost, our dental team is able to remove accumulated plaque and tartar during your dental appointment. Plaque and tartar cause cavities and gum disease, so you want to minimize these troublemakers as much as possible. When plaque is able to sit on your smile for an extended period of time, it calcifies on your enamel: this is called tartar. Once plaque has calcified, you really need a dentist, using professional tools, in order to remove it.
Another significant thing that happens during your semi-annual appointment is an oral cancer screening. Many oral cancers progress without visible symptoms in their earliest stages. Our dental team completes oral cancer screenings on our patients so that we can treat oral cancers as quickly as possible; the earlier cancer is identified and treated, the better the long-term prognosis.
Semi-annual professional cleanings also give our dentist a chance to touch base with you about any changes to your smile or oral health. We may have recommendations regarding how you can tweak your daily oral hygiene routine for maximum effectiveness, or we may advocate for specific preventive treatments to preemptively address potential dental problems down the road.
Take the time to schedule your semi-annual professional cleaning, so that you can keep your smile on track all year long. Our Santa Monica dentists have more information—just give our office a call to get started!