In short, deep cleanings at the dentist help prevent bone loss and gum disease. In the year 2024 dentists have become pretty good at saving teeth in many instances by fixing cavities with fillings, root canals and crowns and even implants, so that most people aren’t missing most of their teeth in their late 20’s to mid 30’s like has been the case throughout most of history. Things like the invention of fluoride have had a tremendous impact on prevention of dental caries (cavities) in the first place. Fluoride often gets a bad wrap on many online blogs amongst the holistic purists crowds, but the studies are crystal clear that fluoride is the number one preventor of disease in the world (we will be discussing more about fluoride in future blogs as there is much to unpack there including many pros and a few cons). Fillings crowns, root canals, and implants are great at fixing teeth, but what about the bone that holds teeth in the mouth. Those treatments need something to anchor to if they are to be successful.
WHY DO I NEED A DEEP CLEANING?
In the dental office what we see is if people regularly miss their regular 6 month cleanings they develop periodontal disease, which is where the bone attaching to the teeth is lost and if not stopped, will ultimately make the teeth become loose resulting is the loss of every tooth in the mouth, leading to needing dreaded dentures. Ever wonder what your dental hygienist does when she puts that metal prob in your gums and calls out numbers. She/He is checking to see how many millimeters you have lost from your bone attaching to your teeth. 1-3 millimeters is healthy. 4 millimeters is the starting stages of periodontal disease and sometimes coincides with bleeding gums. 5-7 millimeters is full blown periodontal disease and is often accompanied by bleeding gums when flossed or otherwise agitated. Research studies have shown that past 7 millimeters the hygienist is often not able to adequately clean enough to regain control and the bone loss will continue until the teeth fall out unless a gum and bone specialist called a periodontist intervenes using a technique to clean the teeth called flap surgery. Bleeding gums indicates there is inflammation present and chronic inflammation is the state that causes the bone to wear away as your body sends massive amounts of immune cells to fight off the bacteria that is encased the fortress of calculus that has built up along the gumline of your teeth. Only by clearing all of the calculus along the gumline can we get rid of the bacteria, causing the inflammation to dissipate, so we can preventing bone from continuing to dissolve. Once a deep cleaning is done and all of the calculus and debris is cleared, we typically get 1-3 millimeters of attachment improvement after 6 weeks. This deep cleaning that prevents further bone loss is so important because we never get vertical bone back once it is gone. This is why making we get cleanings every 6 months is so important so we can stop this disease progression before it gets started.
DO DEEP CLEANINGS HURT?
No. Certainly digging below the gumline to get all of calculus and debris off would hurt, however before a deep cleaning is done the hygienist gets you numb. Here at Martineau Dental in Pleasant Grove on State Street, our certified hygienists Rachel and Jenni are the best. They are fully trained to make your numbing experience as discomfort free as possible. By using Benzocaine topical gel before the injections, and taking the time to inject very slowly allows less pressure build up and slower pH change that makes the injections almost pain free.
WHERE IS THE BEST DENTIST TO GET A CLEANING AND CHECK UP
Been a while since you had a dental check up and cleaning. Call the best dentist in Utah County Martineau Dental in Pleasant grove on State Street, near American Fork and Lindon. Doctor Martineau and his office are fully trained. Check out our google reviews and see why our patients are the happiest in Utah. Do you like pain free dentistry? Call Martineau Dental at 385 269 0550 and make your dental cleaning appointment today!
