We hear it all the time with patients, “Nah, I brush and floss my teeth so I don’t need to get my teeth cleaned” or “It’s okay, I’ll just get the filling for my cavity but pass on the cleaning.” What you don’t see is how every time we hear that we are literally trying our best not to scream, haha. Our job is to educate you and ensure we are taking care of your ENTIRE oral health. This includes the foundation of your mouth which includes your bone and gums.
The Breakdown
Your teeth are held in your mouth by the bone that surrounds them. You gums lie over your bone. When bacteria enters your gums and is not removed, your gum begins to tear away from your tooth. The presence of bacteria under your gums is called gingivitis (aka gum disease). If you’ve ever brushed or flossed and have noticed your gums are bleeding, congratulations, you have gingivitis.
Now if the bacteria under your gums is not removed professionally by a hygienist because you aren’t coming in for a teeth cleaning, guess what? That bacteria then enters the bone surrounding your teeth and now you have periodontitis (aka bone disease). Over time the presence of bacteria in the bone will cause bone loss around the tooth therefore causing the tooth to become mobile which can lead to eventual tooth loss! Say what?!
What people don’t realize is that you can lose a tooth that has NOTHING wrong with it! No cavity, no infection, NOTHING. What happened is that you lost the bone holding it in because you had periodontitis which is 100% PREVENTABLE by brushing, flossing and wait for it - coming in for regular cleaning appointments!
The Low-down on Oral Bacteria
Now this bacteria I speak of also has fancy names. Plaque is a sticky biofilm that builds up on your teeth and is made of up of your saliva and the foods and drinks you have. If the plaque is not removed from your teeth and under your gums (from lack of brushing/flossing and coming in for cleaning appointments) it hardens into calculus (aka tartar).
Plaque can harden into tartar in as little as 24 hours! Once plaque has turned into tartar it can only be removed by a dental professional due to it’s hardness and strong bond to enamel. Tartar can be found both above and below the gums. Don’t believe me when I say you can’t remove tartar yourself? Just check out the before and after pictures above of a patient who presented with heavy tartar build up and how it looks after once our magical hygienists removed it! Remember, plaque and tartar can lead to decay (ie. cavities), bad breath, and as already mentioned, tooth loss!
Let’s Get Brutally Honest
The truth is you wouldn’t build your house on a crappy foundation, right? Well, same thing here. The health of your bone and gums make up the foundation of your mouth and if you don’t have a strong foundation to build upon, everything else will fail. This means the longevity of any fillings, crowns, bridges, dental implants or any dental work are directly related to the health of your bone and gums. Morale of the story? Book your hygiene appointment with us! Don’t make us stalk you, even though you know we will. :) Any questions? Just hollar at us (or just call and book and appointment).
Dr. Sunayna