What Happens When You Neglect Professional Teeth Cleanings

What Happens When You Don’t Go to Tempe Dentist for Teeth Cleanings

People tend to neglect professional teeth cleanings for a variety of reasons. You might have stopped visiting the dentist during the pandemic. Or, you may just dread the feeling of the dental tools scraping your teeth. Getting back on track with your teeth cleaning schedule helps you avoid the following dental problems.

Plaque Starts to Build Up and Turn Into Tartar

Food that gets left on your teeth breaks down into a sticky substance called plaque. Tooth brushing helps remove a large amount of plaque. The bristles still can’t reach every surface of most teeth, though. 

Plaque that gets left behind hardens into tartar. This rock-like substance needs professional tools to remove it from your teeth.

You Have Bad Breath

You can brush and floss all you want, but any food residue left behind can contribute to bad breath. 

Bacteria builds up in your mouth when the food begins to break down. This often happens between your teeth and below the gum line where it is harder to clean. Dental tools get down into the crevices to remove the stinky bacteria.

Your Teeth Start to Decay

Plaque and tartar that sit on your teeth too long erode the enamel. As this happens, you may notice that you have spots of decay developing. If the decay gets too deep, you could be facing a painful cavity.

Your Teeth Accumulate Stains

That whirring sound you hear during your dental cleaning is just the polishing tool. This painless part of cleaning allows the hygienist to gently buff and polish the surface of your teeth. Doing so can help to remove surface stains and brighten up your smile.

Gum Disease Starts Progressing

Bacterial buildup along your gum line can quickly accumulate between dental cleanings. If you go too long without removing it, then you could be facing a diagnosis of gum disease. 

Regular dental cleanings help to prevent gum disease from developing. In some cases, you might even be able to reverse gum disease by following a special dental cleaning plan.

Teeth Cleanings Take Longer

If the prospect of sitting in the dentist’s chair makes you squirm, then try not to skip a cleaning. Scraping off all of that accumulated plaque and tartar takes more time when you rarely go to the dentist. 

Once you’ve had your teeth professionally cleaned, you can expect future cleanings to go much faster. 

You Could Miss an Early Warning for Oral Cancer

Professional teeth cleanings are often combined with oral exams. Your dentist or hygienist will naturally take note of any changes that they notice in your mouth. 

Since most people go for cleanings at least twice a year, you open up more opportunities to catch oral cancer early.

There’s no time like the present for getting your teeth cleaned. If it’s been a while, then let us know. We can offer you reassurance about our safety procedures. 

Making your teeth cleanings as comfortable as possible is our personal mission. We look forward to seeing you come in for your regular visits again.