The routine dental cleaning is meant to make sure of two things: first, that periodontally you stay healthy and, second, to be sure nothing else is developing inside your mouth.  Because every person’s mouth is unique and treated on an “individual” basis, some people may need dental cleanings on a regular basis every 3 months because their teeth need the extra attention. But the majority of people we see we recommend to come in and have their teeth cleaned every 6 months.

Why Do I Need My Teeth Cleaned Every 6 Months When My Teeth Don’t Actually Feel Dirty?

Great question! They may not feel dirty, but bacterial plaque is a by-product of your saliva, and wherever your saliva travels to in your mouth, plaque follows, and plaque is your biggest enemy.  It’s the primary cause of periodontal breakdown.  It’s the primary cause of tooth decay.

The bottom line is that if you’re able to remove every bit of plaque, every 24 hours, then, you may not ever have any great deal of buildup of hard materials because when plaque stays in your teeth for more than 24 hours, it picks up calcium and phosphorus from your saliva and it gets hard. When plaque becomes hard in your mouth, it becomes dental tartar and the only way to get that off is to physically scrape it off.

A routine dental exam will help you reach places that are not normally exposed like below the gum line. These soft tissues in your mouth are not visible and there may be inflammation in these tissues. So even though everything may look real clean to you in your mouth, if there happens to be bleeding in the gums, then there’s inflammation in the gums, which is exactly why you want to have a routine dental cleaning every 6 months. A thorough dental exam is accomplished during the cleaning, so that we are looking at all aspects of your gum tissue, your teeth, and the other soft tissues in your mouth to make sure nothing bad is happening like developing periodontal issues.