Prophylaxis is the technical term for a teeth cleaning, and it’s sometimes called scaling. Professional teeth cleanings are recommended at 6-month intervals as part of your regular dental regimen, or more often if you struggle with gum diseases. Dental cleaning involves removing plaque (soft, sticky, bacteria infested film) and tartar (calculus) deposits that have built up on the teeth over time. The reasons for getting the teeth cleaning on a regular basis-
- All dental problems start with the bacteria in the mouth. Food particles that stick to teeth becomes havens for bacteria.
- As food debris hardens and gets infected with bacteria it is called plaque, then tartar and finally calculus.
- It can lead to cavities by the constant bacterial attack.
- It can cause tooth loss by infecting and weakening the gums till teeth start shaking.
- It can also cause diseases in the rest of the body like heart diseases, complications of diabetes if the bacteria travel in the bloodstream.
If you have a lot of bacteria build up in your mouth, it can irritate your gums so that they become more sensitive and bleed more easily. The prognosis of the gum disease always depends on early detection and a dental cleaning or scaling is always the first line of treatment for any gum infection and must be done regularly.