When I am flossing and brushing twice a day, why should I be visiting a dentist for cleaning my teeth? No doubt, this is a logical question. However, there is a logical answer. When you look in the mirror, you can only observe your front teeth and their front surfaces. But you cannot detect plaque marks that are formed at the back side of your teeth and in between your teeth. As you cannot see, there are high chances that your floss or brush will be unable to clean the area properly. This is the reason it forms in the first place. Your dentist has the means for inspecting all surfaces of your teeth minutely. The dentist is certified and trained for detecting and cleaning any specks of plague as well as detecting any symptoms of forthcoming dental disease. Inspection of your teeth at regular intervals and dental cleaning in McLean, VA has several benefits that one must know.

Prevention of Cavities – A whitish film that builds up on the teeth is known as plaque and is the man cause for tooth decay. The tooth enamel gets lost due to plaque, and if it is not cleaned will cause cavities. Through dental cleanings, flossing and brushing, plaque can be removed.

Stopping Loss of Tooth – Gum disease that starts to build with plaque is the main cause for loss of the tooth in adults. When the gum disease spreads, plaque goes further down the tooth where it can damage the supporting bone in your jaw that causes teeth to loosen and fall out. Fortunately, this can be reduced to a great extent through dental cleanings at regular intervals combined with proper oral hygiene habits.

Brightening Your Smile – Using tobacco or drinking wine, tea and coffee stain your teeth. With a dental cleaning McLean VA removes your build-up stains and you will be getting freshly polished teeth. The outcome? A brighter and white smile!

Freshen your Breath – For preventing consistent bad breath, good oral hygiene is a must. Even if you are flossing and brushing daily, having a cleaning done is the best way to keeping your mouth odor-free and healthy.

Boosts Overall Health – Several studies have shown a connection between overall and oral health. Dental cleanings at regular intervals help in lowering your risk for some diseases like diabetes, cardiac disease, Alzheimer, infertility, and preterm birth. Many medical conditions where some of them are life-threatening like cancer can be detected in early stages during a routine dental checkup.

Saving Money – Grab the opportunities from your dental benefits. Majority of the dental plans have no or low coinsurance/copayments for oral exams and dental cleaning in McLean, VA. Presently, if you are taking advantage of your benefits, you can save money in the long run by protecting your oral health and avoiding extensive and costly procedures.

Procedure

Dental cleaning is done using three techniques namely debridement, tooth polishing, and tooth scaling. First is tooth scaling, where the layers or films of substances are removed that gets accumulated on the surface of the tooth. After the scaling, the tooth is polished by making the teeth surface smoother. Lastly, when there is an accumulation of too much tartar and through scaling it is difficult to remove, the debridement technique is used. Here your dental hygienist will be using numerous instruments for loosening the deposits and remove from the teeth.

Tools for Dental Cleaning

• Polisher – A hand tool having a soft rubber tip that is slowly moved for polishing the surface of the tooth.

• Curettes or Scalers – Small hand tools that dentists manually use for removing smaller deposit pieces. They are effective in scraping off plaque and tartar.

• Fluoride – When cleaning your teeth, your McLean dentist may put some fluoride. Available in a gel or foam, it helps in strengthening the teeth for compensating the negative effects that tartar and plaque had on them. When fluoride is applied, the patient will not be eating, drinking or rinsing the mouth for a minimum half an hour after application.