Preventive Dentistry: What to Expect During Routine Dental Cleanings

At our practice we encounter many patients who let routine dental exams, and cleanings fall by the wayside because they don’t have an apparent problem with their dental health. But regular dental check-ups aren’t meant to address pronounced issues like extensive tooth decay or dental trauma. These preventive visits maintain optimal oral health and prevent these issues in the future. Furthermore, the most cost-effective way to maintain optimal dental health is to adhere to routine visits, not waiting for the worst-case scenario.

Haven’t seen a dentist yet this year? Please schedule an appointment with Grand Dental Arts in Toms River, New Jersey, for exceptional dental care.

What to expect during professional teeth cleanings

Before dental cleaning, we’ll inspect your teeth, gums, tongue, and other oral structures for signs of decay, gum disease, and oral cancer. The dental exam may also include digital x-rays, depending on the elapsed period since your last exam. Based on your exam results, we’ll provide a treatment plan that helps you achieve optimal health.

After the oral exam, our dental hygienist uses special tools and skills to remove stains, plaque, and tartar from all surfaces of the teeth. Professional cleaning is nothing like your at-home dental care. Dental professionals are highly trained to use tools that access even the hard-to-reach areas often missed with brushing and flossing. These areas often develop tartar (calcified plaque) that only a dentist can remove.

Once we clean your teeth, we expertly floss and polish them to remove surface stains and deposits. We’ll recommend fluoride treatments to strengthen your teeth and reverse minor tooth decay if necessary. After cleaning, you can ask questions about maintaining oral health between dental cleanings.  

Benefits of professional dental cleanings

We recommend that patients see a dentist at least twice yearly, but if you have a history of gum disease and tooth decay, you should have your teeth cleaned more often. Dental cleanings are the foundation of preventive care — you shouldn’t contemplate missing them. 

The many benefits of dental cleanings include:

• Removing dental calculus prevents gum disease, decay, and bad breath
• Dental cleanings eliminate gum infection, protecting the overall body from widespread infections
• Dental cleanings keep the teeth radiant by removing unsightly plaque and tartar
• Teeth cleanings prepare your teeth for other dental treatments like teeth whitening
• They prevent costly restorative treatments

Are you overdue for a dental appointment in Toms River, NJ? Please call 732-286-7000 to schedule an appointment with Drs. Colleen Williamson and Marya Ijaz. We’ll give your mouth the optimal oral health it deserves.