It may be easy to postpone regular health checkups when there isn’t a noticeable problem or issue. However, one routine appointment that you should never skip is a professional dental cleaning. Regular visits to your dentist in Cupertino, CA for professional dental cleanings are essential.
A professional dental cleaning is much more than a simple way to brighten your smile every few months. It is also a preventative measure and an opportunity to identify and address any threats to your oral health before they become a much larger problem.
If you have been putting off your regular dentist checkup because of time constraints or because you’re a little nervous about the dentist’s chair, then consider the following FAQs, which explain why a professional dental cleaning is so important.
What is Professional Dental Cleaning?
A professional dental cleaning is an active step in maintaining healthy teeth and gums. During the dental cleaning procedure, your expert dentist and gum disease specialist will thoroughly examine to ensure no hidden problems. In addition, they will then remove bacteria, plaque, and tartar build-up from the surfaces of your teeth and gums.
Depending on the initial exam and your unique oral health needs, your dentist may opt for one of the following types of dental cleanings:
- Prophylaxis – This is the most common type of dental cleaning, and it is a routine and preventive dental cleaning that aims to remove harmful bacteria and reduce your risk for dental issues through scraping and polishing.
- Gross debridement – If you have not been to a dentist in over a year, a more comprehensive dental cleanup may be needed to remove excess plaque build-up. The purpose of a gross debridement is to remove all the accumulated plaque. However, it is also important to ensure there aren’t any issues that were initially diagnosed before the extensive dental cleaning took place. The process is very similar to a routine prophylaxis, but it may take a little longer.
- Deep dental cleaning – Also known as scaling and root planning, a deep dental clean focus on your teeth and the areas beneath your gum line to flush out any excess bacteria and hardened tartar that has grown around your tooth roots. This procedure is reserved for patients with mild to moderate gum disease, and local anesthesia may be used to numb the gums during the procedure to ensure maximum comfort.
Does a Professional Dental Cleaning Hurt?
A professional dental cleaning is not painful at all. However, if you have a fear of the dentist (which is common), a caring dental practice like Pannu Dental Group will work with you to ensure you are as comfortable as possible, possibly through medication, sedation dentistry options, or local anesthesia as warranted.
How Long Does a Dental Cleaning Take?
A professional dental cleaning generally takes around 30 minutes, although this timeframe may be longer if you haven’t been to the dentist in a while. Some additional time and effort might be needed to remove bacteria and plaque and optimize your smile.
How Much Does a Dental Cleaning Cost?
A professional dental cleaning without insurance can range from $75 to $250, which makes it one of the least expensive dental procedures. However, most dental insurance providers consider a professional dental cleaning part of required and necessary routine care, so the procedure is often covered by insurance. A client-focused dental group will work with you to ensure that any recommended treatments fit your budget.
How Often Should I Get a Professional Dental Cleaning?
Generally speaking, you should get professional dental cleaning twice a year to optimize your oral health and achieve the best results over the course of a lifetime.
Who Needs More Frequent Dental Cleanings?
While twice-year appointments work for most dental patients, there may be instances when you’ll want more frequent dental cleanings, which include the following:
- have gum disease
- have a family history of gum disease, cavities, or excessive plaque build- up and other oral health issues
- have a weekended immune system, which makes you more vulnerable to bacteria and other issues
- have other illnesses or have been under a lot of stress because some conditions and health issues can cause changes in your mouth
Why Is It Important to Get a Professional Dental Cleaning?
There is a long list of reasons why you should always stick to a routine schedule of professional dental cleanings, and just a handful of these reasons are as follows:
- It reduces your risk of serious health issues, like gum disease, cavities, and other common oral health problems that can develop without regular cleanings
- It improves your smile and your breath, as professional dental cleanings can both help your appearance and eliminate any issues with bad breath
- It saves money and time in the dentist’s chair. Preventative dental cleanings are the best thing you can do to save a lot of time, worry, and money in the long run by eliminating problems before they start.
- It helps your whole-body health. Believe it or not, your oral health affects every aspect of your whole-body health. Routine teeth cleanings can have a wealth of subsequent benefits, which, according to research, include a reduced risk of heart disease, stroke, and dementia.
Where Can I Find Dental Cleaning Near Me?
If you haven’t checked in on your oral health lately and need a trusted and experienced dentist in Cupertino, CA and beyond, your first step should be to reach out to Pannu Dental Group.
We combine a focus on all our patients’ care and comfort with the latest advanced technology to make every treatment and procedure more comfortable and more effective, even when it comes to routine needs like professional dental cleanings.
Contact us today to schedule your appointment. Together, we will take a proactive step towards safeguarding your oral health for years to come. With a trusted, experienced, and renowned dentist like Pannu Dental Group, you’ll find a lifelong partner that will ensure decades of brilliant smiles.
Schedule your appointment today!
Dr. Dalvir S. Pannu has been a practicing dentist since 1995. In 1996 he opened his first dental practice in India, where he gained invaluable experience and acumen. In October of 1997 he was invited by the American Dental Association (ADA) to present the table clinic on Endodontics, at their annual session held in Washington, D.C. At this time he fell in love with the United States and became passionate about practicing dentistry in California. He became particularly enamored of the San Francisco Bay area, and soon took up residence and work here.