Why Go to Your Dental Hygienist for Professional Cleaning?
Even if they don’t actually go as much as they should, most people know how important it is to have regular appointments with their dentist. However, far fewer understand how important it is to see their dental hygienist just as regularly.
A dental hygienist is responsible for professionally cleaning your teeth, and here are just a few reasons why you should make an appointment.
Improve Your Technique
Maybe you brush twice a day using the best electric toothbrush and floss every evening, you might still need to work on your technique. Could be you aren’t getting right into the gumline when you floss, or maybe you’re brushing too hard or not getting at those back teeth quite as well as you should. If there’s anything wrong with your technique, your dental hygienist will spot the signs and tell you how to improve.
Get Rid of Tartar
One of the main reasons you need to brush and floss is to get rid of plaque. However, it’s very hard to get rid of all that plaque, and some of it will harden into tartar, which cannot be removed via brushing or flossing. A dental hygienist will be able to use instruments you don’t have at home to get rid of tartar. Scalers can remove small deposits. Ultrasonic cleaners can get rid of larger ones.
Remove Surface Stains
Having your teeth whitened can hugely improve your smile, but you can also get rid of some stains simply through professional cleaning. You see, most staining compounds work by infiltrating the tooth’s surface, but some staining compounds sit right on the surface. Brushing can remove some of them, but, once again, a dental hygienist can do a lot more. Using a high-speed polishing tool, they’ll be able to get rid of surface stains to leave your teeth looking their best in just a few minutes.
Added Strength
While cleaning your teeth, your hygienist may apply fluoride directly to their surfaces in either a foam or gel form. This compensates for previous damage created by plaque and tartar and helps strengthen tooth enamel.
