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Monthly Archives: October 2020

Why (and How Often) You Need Deep Teeth Cleaning in Scarborough

When your dentist recommends deep teeth cleaning, it’s because he or she can see signs that your daily oral hygiene regimen isn’t enough to prevent the buildup of tartar. One of the most important types of dental cleaning included in hygiene therapy, deep cleaning is vital for maintaining a healthy smile for life. Let’s take a look at when—and why—deep teeth cleaning is appropriate for Scarborough patients, and how often this is likely to be needed during an average adult’s lifetime.

Reasons for Needing Deep Teeth Cleaning in Scarborough

We all have a certain amount of bacteria in the mouth, which combines with other substances to form plaque on the teeth. Regular daily oral hygiene takes care of much of the plaque, but any that doesn’t get brushed and flossed away can harden and develop into tartar. Unless this is removed professionally, it stays on the teeth and can cause gingivitis or gum inflammation. Regular deep cleaning can prevent this from happening, rather than having you wait for it to begin.

What Happens Without Deep Teeth Cleaning

When gingivitis is left untreated, it can advance into a more serious form of gum disease called periodontitis. The gum tissue pulls away from the teeth, creating spaces or pockets in which oral bacteria can easily hide. Over time, this causes infection of the gum tissue that connects to your teeth, and it could recede enough to expose and damage the jawbone holding the teeth in place. This can result in potential tooth loss or even infection in the jawbone.

You might see additional signs that show deep teeth cleaning is necessary, including:

1. Redness, swelling or bleeding of the gums
2. Continuous bad breath
3. Signs that your teeth are getting “longer”
4. Tender, sensitive teeth and gums
5. Pain when you bite or chew
6. Loose teeth

Deep teeth cleaning in Scarborough at Havenview Dental, is the first step towards halting gum disease in its tracks and preventing you from losing teeth. Since inflammation anywhere in your body can affect your heart and overall health, this measure will also help to stop you from developing other long-term consequences.

What Deep Dental Cleaning Involves

Deep cleaning is also called scaling and root planing (SRP), and while it’s a similar process to the regular teeth cleaning your hygienist does, it focuses on the parts of the tooth below the gum line and the external surface of the roots. The dentist uses a hand-held scaler to scrape the thickest plaque from your teeth, right down to the bottom of the pockets. This is followed by using an ultrasonic vibrating tool and water spray to remove the tartar.

The root planing part of the process involves cleaning and smoothing the surfaces so the gum tissue can reattach to the teeth. Here’s a video from the American Dental Association illustrating the procedure, which is pain-free and takes our Scarborough dental office about an hour to perform. The treatment ends with a thorough tooth polishing and a concentrated fluoride treatment to keep your teeth healthy and sparkling for the next few months.

How Often You Should Have Your Teeth Deep-Cleaned in Scarborough

Everyone is different, and so is the amount of attention each person pays to dental hygiene. We typically recommend that in addition to regular dental checkups, patients with healthy mouths have a deep dental cleaning every 2 to 3 years to prevent the accumulation of plaque that can lead to problems later in life.

Maintaining a healthy dental hygiene program is important for good oral (and overall) health. Our qualified dentists and hygienists work closely with patients to ensure you not only keep your teeth clean, but that your gums stay healthy too!

To book your deep teeth cleaning in Scarborough, please call 416-291-3117 or click here to schedule an appointment.

5 Benefits of a Dental Bridge Procedure to Replace Missing Teeth

A beautiful, healthy smile plays a huge role in your self-esteem and confidence, as well as your ability to speak and chew effectively. While porcelain veneers can help cover damaged teeth, when you experience tooth loss, whatever the reason for it, it’s important to replace the missing teeth. You should attempt to do so as soon as possible to preserve the shape of your face and mouth and avoid long-term complications. Choosing a dental bridge offers several advantages, and the best dentist in Scarborough will be able to tell you everything you need to know about this option. Here are some of the benefits of having a dental bridge procedure.

Benefit #1: Smile Restoration

You don’t have to be a movie star to benefit from a good smile. Research by Kelton Global shows 73% of North Americans confirm that they are more likely to trust someone with a nice smile over a person who wears designer clothing, drives a fancy car, or holds an important job. In addition, it can actually increase your lifespan, as proved in a 2010 research project by Wayne State University.

The project examined the baseball card photos of Major League players in 1952 and found that the way the players smiled was directly related to the length of their lives. Players who didn’t smile in their photographs lived for only 72.9 years on average, while players who were photographed with beaming smiles lived longer, up to 79.9 years on average.

Benefit #2: Improved Eating

After you lose one or more teeth, you might find it difficult and even painful to bite into and chew your favourite foods. As soon as you have a gap in your mouth, the teeth on either side start shifting towards the open space. This causes them to loosen, which makes eating with that part of your mouth both difficult and painful. You can also accumulate food particles in the empty socket, which can result in bacterial gum infections.

Weigh up a dental bridge cost estimate against the price of future dental treatments for gum disease and the cost making extensive changes to your diet and lifestyle, and you’ll see why this is such an important benefit.

Benefit #3: Better Speech

If you lose any of your front teeth, or several teeth in a row anywhere in your mouth, you might find yourself speaking with a lisp or discover it’s harder to pronounce certain words. To resolve this problem, you’ll need to replace the missing teeth. A dental bridge procedure gives you a permanent, custom-made solution that stays in place by being connected to the teeth on either side, or to dental implants in your jawbone. If your life or career requires you to speak to lots of people, it’s super-important to know that your speech is faultless and your teeth won’t shift when they come into contact with your tongue during speaking.

Benefit #4: Maintain Facial Structure

As soon as you lose one or more teeth, the jawbone where they were begins to deteriorate. Your facial muscles don’t only have to cope with the empty space left by the missing tooth/teeth, they also have to cope with the space left by diminishing bone as the jawbone reduces in strength and density.

Missing teeth can also affect the alignment of your bite, resulting in an over- or underbite you never had before. This can cause your muscles to sag, making your lips and cheeks look sunken and making you look older than you are.

A dental bridge procedure will help you to maintain your facial structure by filling the space left by your missing teeth, supporting and stabilizing your bite and preserving your muscle tone.

Benefit #5: Protect Existing Teeth

We mentioned earlier how the surrounding teeth start to shift as soon as there’s a gap between them. This leads to crooked or loose teeth and additional tooth loss. In addition, missing teeth can lead to an unbalanced bite, which results in extra pressure being put on the remaining teeth. When this happens, you can experience jaw pain and gum inflammation that could result in an infection. A dental bridge procedure can help you avert all these problems and enable you to have the smile you want (and need) for a successful life and career.

Consult with the best dentist in Scarborough to find out how a dental bridge procedure can benefit you. Please call 416-291-3117 or click here to schedule an appointment today.