Benefits of Quarterly Teeth Cleanings

As a Registered Dental Hygienist, it is my job to ensure my patients have great looking teeth and gums.  That is why in our office, we offer complimentary teeth cleanings alternating every 3 months for established patients.  Most insurance companies cover 2 cleanings per year, so at our office, you will receive an additional 2 cleanings per year at NO COST to you!!  For example, if your insurance covers a cleaning in January and July, we will provide you an addition cleaning in April and another in October FREE OF CHARGE!!  This is a value of over $200 per year simply for being a valued patient!  It can’t get any better than that!

According to Delta Dental, there are many benefits to having your teeth cleaned.  Quarterly cleanings can provide you benefits in the long run.

6 things a dental cleaning can do for you

1.Prevent cavities
The whitish film that builds up on your teeth is called plaque and is the leading cause of tooth decay. This acidic substance eats away at the tooth enamel and, if left unattended, can lead to cavities. Plaque can be removed by brushing, flossing and dental cleanings.

2.Stop tooth loss
Gum disease, which starts with built-up plaque, is a major cause of tooth loss in adults. As gum disease advances, plaque moves further down the tooth where it can destroy the supporting bone in your jaw, causing teeth to loosen and fall out. Luckily, the chance of this happening to you can be greatly reduced through regular dental cleanings combined with good oral hygiene habits.

3.Brighten your smile
Drinking coffee, tea and wine or using tobacco can stain your teeth. A dental cleaning can remove built-up stains and leave you with freshly polished teeth. The result? A whiter, brighter smile!

4.Freshen your breath
Good oral hygiene is the best way to prevent persistent bad breath. Even if you brush and floss regularly, getting a cleaning is a great way to keep your mouth healthy and odor-free.

5.Boost your overall health
Studies have shown a connection between oral and overall health.1 Regular dental cleanings may help lower your risk for some diseases, like heart disease and stroke.2 Many medical conditions, some of them life-threatening, can be detected in their early stages by your dentist during a routine oral exam.3

6.Save money
Get the most value from your dental benefits. Most Delta Dental plans have low or no copayments/coinsurance for dental cleanings and oral exams.4 If you take advantage of your benefits now, you may be able to save money in the long run by helping to protect your oral health and potentially avoiding more costly and extensive procedures.

For these advantages and more, make an appointment with your dentist today.

Also, according to WebMD, teeth cleanings can be beneficial to your Heart Health.

Study Shows Professional Teeth Cleaning Is Linked to Lower Risk of Heart Attack and Stroke

By Charlene Laino
WebMD Health News

Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD

Nov. 16, 2011 (Orlando, Fla.) — Getting your teeth cleaned may give you more than a sparkling white smile — it may give you something to smile about, like your health.

In a large study, people who had their teeth professionally scaled at least once every two years were 24% less likely to have a heart attack, compared with those who skipped the hygienist. Scaling cleans between the gums and the teeth.

And their risk of stroke dropped by 13%, says study researcher Zu-Yin Chen, MD, a cardiology fellow at the Veterans General Hospital in Taipei, Taiwan.

“Something as simple as having good dental hygiene — brushing, flossing, and having regular cleanings — may be good for your heart and brain health,” says Ralph Sacco, MD, head of neurology at the University of Miami. Sacco, the immediate past president of the American Heart Association (AHA), was not involved with the work.

Although the link between dental health and heart and stroke risk is not entirely clear, inflammation is a common problem in gum disease and heart disease, Sacco tells WebMD.

A number of studies have linked chronic inflammation to hardening of the arteries, which can lead to heart attacks and stroke, he says.

Cleaning your teeth gets rid of bacteria in the mouth that can lead to chronic infection and inflammation, which can then spread to other parts of the body, Chen says.

The study was presented here at the American Heart Association annual meeting.

Benefits of Frequent Teeth Cleaning

Chen and colleagues reviewed the records of more than 100,000 people in Taiwan’s national health insurance database. About half had received at least one cleaning; the other half had never had a cleaning.

Their average age was 38 years. None had suffered a heart attack or stroke when the study began. They were followed for an average of seven years.

Results showed that people who had more than one cleaning a year had the lowest risk of heart attack and stroke, Chen tells WebMD.

Because the researchers didn’t have information on heart attack and stroke risk factors such as weight, smoking, and race — which could have affected the results — it could be that people with good dental hygiene are more likely to eat right and have other heart-healthy habits, Sacco says.

These findings were presented at a medical conference. They should be considered preliminary as they have not yet undergone the “peer review” process, in which outside experts scrutinize the data prior to publication in a medical journal.