Every six months, your dental office will probably call to remind you of your upcoming dental cleaning. You might feel inclined to skip their phone call or cancel your appointment without hesitation but what you don’t know is how skipping just one dental cleaning can affect your oral health.
Before you write it off as not a big deal, learn what happens to your mouth every time you skip a dental cleaning.
What Happens When You Skip One Dental Cleaning
Although it might not feel like a big deal to skip one dental cleaning, it is. You can be the best brusher in the world and you will still miss some plaque in your mouth. After a time, that plaque hardens into tartar and once it hardens, only your dentist can remove it from your mouth during your dental cleanings. Plaque can also build up along the gum line which can cause your gums to become infected.
With a build-up of plaque and tartar and no professional cleaning to help you clean it off your teeth, cavities and gingivitis will begin to form. You will also develop bad breath.
What Happens After Skipping Dental Cleanings for a Year
If you skip your next dental cleaning too, the gingivitis and small cavities will progress even more without treatment. What was once a simple dental treatment to restore your dental health, is now dental fillings and a root planing and scaling. It’s likely your cavities are asymptomatic but you might notice a sensitivity to temperature or sweets. Your gums might start bleeding when brushing and flossing or look red and swollen.
Two Years Without a Dental Cleaning
After two years without a dental cleaning, your gums have likely progressed to periodontal disease stage two or three which can result in gum recession, deep gum pockets, and even bone loss. If you still haven’t addressed your cavities, you might notice a toothache and lingering sensitivity that lasts at least 30 seconds or more, indicating the decay has reached the tooth nerve.
Five Years and Beyond without a Dental Cleaning
If it’s been five years since your dental cleaning, you might have severe gum disease and tooth decay. At this point, you might require extensive dental work or extractions to restore your oral health.
Schedule Your Next Dental Cleaning in Butler, PA
Although not every patient will experience these exact results from skipping their dental cleanings, it is possible. Visiting your Butler dentist every 6 months can help you keep your natural teeth healthy and free of problems. We can also treat problems early on so they don’t progress. The longer you go without a dental cleaning, the more invasive and expensive your treatments will be down the line.
If you want to take control of your oral health, schedule your next dental cleaning at Advanced Dentistry of Butler with Dr. Fornalczyk today. Please call (724) 282-4436 to book an appointment at our Butler, PA dental office.
