5 Surprising Benefits of Professional Dental Cleanings

No matter how diligent you are with oral care, you can’t maintain a healthy mouth without regular dental cleanings. Brushing and flossing alone can’t prevent the slow buildup of plaque and tartar between teeth and along the gumline. These buildups are the leading cause of gum disease. 

Preventing gum disease isn’t the only advantage of a professional dental cleaning. The team at Lee Dental encourages you to keep up a schedule of twice-annual dental cleanings to enjoy trouble-free oral health. We’re dental cleaning specialists, so we’ve prepared a list of five of the more surprising benefits. 

Affordability

Saving money by skipping regular dental cleanings is a textbook example of false economy. The cost of cleanings might be compared with oil changes on your car. Sure, you can skip regular maintenance to save money today, but you’ll pay for the consequences down the road as decay and gum disease require more extensive (and expensive) treatments to repair the damage. Professional dental cleanings act as an oral health insurance policy against larger cash outlays in the future. 

Your heart health

The connection between gum disease and cardiovascular health comes as a surprise to many. There’s a statistical link between gum disease and heart attacks, strokes, and other sudden vascular events. It’s thought that the inflammation caused by bacteria from gum disease can spread through the body and trigger or aggravate these heart conditions. Regular dental cleanings serve both oral and cardiac health. 

Diabetes

Another surprising link connects gum disease and diabetes, and it’s a two-way connection. The high level of blood glucose in uncontrolled diabetes increases the risk of developing gum disease, while trying to clear up gum infections makes it more difficult to control blood glucose levels. Your twice-annual visits can help keep both conditions in check. 

Alzheimer’s and dementia

Once again, the bacteria that cause gum disease can travel through your bloodstream. When these bacteria thrive in poor oral health conditions, they can migrate to the brain. A study from 2020 connects gum disease with infections that lead to Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. These infections cause tissue damage in the brain that’s associated with Alzheimer’s. 

Healthy babies

Pregnancy is a substantial hormonal event for women. Changes in the hormone balance that supports development of your child also create conditions that increase the risk of gingivitis, the mildest form of gum disease, as well as tooth decay leading to cavities, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This slightly increases the risk of premature deliveries and low birth weights. Since dental care is safe during pregnancy, posing no risk to your unborn child, we encourage expectant mothers to keep up their regular schedule of dental exams and cleanings. 

It’s easy to book a professional dental cleaning with Lee Dental. Call our Frisco, Texas, office directly or use the online booking link found on this page. We’ll take it from there to ensure you gain all the benefits offered by dental cleanings. Schedule your appointment today.