It is important to maintain a regular professional cleaning routine. Bleeding gums and tartar accumulation are signs that a cleaning is needed. Plaque is easily brushed away but once it becomes hard it adheres to the tooth and hardens to become tartar. Tartar cannot be removed by your toothbrush or floss at home. Professional cleanings every 6 months help limit tartar.

Ask about how fluoride can help prevent cavities and can be placed at your cleaning appointment.

As tartar sticks to teeth, it cannot be removed by a toothbrush or floss. If left in place it irritates the gums around the tooth and causes bleeding. The irritated gums cause bone loss around teeth, this is called periodontal disease. To control periodontal disease we clean the tartar beneath the gums. Limited deep cleanings result in cleaning beneath the gums in only those spots where tartar is present beneath the gums. Regular maintenance appointments should be completed every 3 to 4 months.

Full deep cleanings mean the tartar is present beneath the gums than more than just a few teeth. It also means that more severe bone loss may be present. This severe bone loss can lead to tooth loss and the eventual need to replace teeth with grafting and implants or a removable prosthesis like a partial or complete denture. Regular cleanings should occur every 3 months to ensure that the periodontal disease is not progressing.