Everyone needs their teeth cleaned, but how often? It depends on the individual and how much tartar they form.
When certain areas of the teeth are not brushed and flossed, a film of bacteria forms. This bacteria is called plaque. If existing plaque is missed each time you brush for more than two days, it starts to harden. Your saliva begins to mineralize the plaque and it is then called tartar. Once tartar forms, you can't remove it by brushing alone; it has to be scraped off by a dental professional. The amount of plaque that forms on a patient's teeth depends on the mineralization of their saliva and how thoroughly they brush and floss. Many of our patients can get away with a cleaning every year, while others with active gum disease need a cleaning every three months. Then there is the range in between.
Many offices employ dental hygienists to clean patients' teeth. Dental hygienists attend a specific dental hygiene program at the college level.
In our office, Dr. Duronio likes to do the cleanings so he can carefully monitor your mouth's health and see, from one appointment to the next, where there might be persistent problem areas. You can then devise a plan together to address your problem areas. The goal is to get you to the point of optimal oral health so that you can get down to one cleaning per year.
Have more questions about your teeth? Call us at 519-596-1035.