Why Are Routine Dental Cleanings Important?

Getting a routine dental cleaning is essential to your overall health and wellness. This is why you should prioritize your dentist visits in Brewster NY.

If your seasonal dental cleaning is on the horizon, you might be asking yourself a common question: “Do I really need to visit twice a year?”

The truth is that there’s no one-size-fits-all dental treatment. Even the American Dental Association notes that some patients may need fewer visits or more visits. However, there’s one thing that’s never been in question, and that’s the importance of these checkups for your oral health!

Finding and visiting the right local dentist in Brewster, NY might take time, but routine cleanings are well worth the effort. Here are a few key reasons not to skip or postpone your next appointment.

Professional Dental Cleaning

While brushing and flossing on your own is a huge part of dental care, a professional cleaning is a crucial way to care for your smile.

When you brush and floss your teeth, you remove a sticky bacterial growth called plaque. However, if you skip brushing sessions or miss certain areas of your mouth, this plaque can build up into tartar. Unfortunately, tartar is a hard deposit that you can’t remove on your own.

With a professional cleaning, you can get rid of these stubborn tartar buildups. Your local dentist will use special ultrasonic devices, including a scaler, to remove tartar above and below your gum line. If you need a deep cleaning, they can even combine scaling and root planing to remove larger deposits.

After this cleaning, your dentist will use a gritty toothpaste to clean and polish your teeth, removing any lingering deposits.

Last, your dentist will do an expert flossing of your teeth. This ensures total flossing accuracy, even in those hard-to-reach spots in your mouth.

Future Plaque and Tartar Prevention

Once your teeth are nice and clean, your dentist will give you a fluoride treatment to ensure your oral health. During the procedure, your dentist will use a foamy gel, paste, or mouth rinse to apply fluoride to your teeth.



Fluoride has been a crucial dental treatment for decades, and for good reason. It enhances your tooth enamel while fighting the harmful bacteria in your mouth. If your dentist has told you that you’re at a high risk for developing cavities, they might recommend a treatment more than twice a year.

Personal Dental Health Advice

Everyone’s mouth is different, which means that every patient will need different tips to care for their smile. That’s where our regular check-ups come in!

Seasonal cleanings are a great opportunity to ask questions about anything that’s been bothering you. Whether you’re concerned about jaw pain, an odd texture on one of your teeth, or teeth crowding, you can get expert answers during your visit.

Your dentist may also have specific recommendations to care for your oral health.



Some patients, for example, will benefit from prescription mouth rinses or sensitive toothpaste. Others may need to regulate their diet or chewing habits. Your dentist may also advise you to pay special attention to certain areas of your mouth when brushing. This is especially true if they’ve noticed that plaque tends to build up in one part of your mouth more than others.

Early Detection of Dental Problems

Saving Money and Time

While you might not feel like heading to your routine cleaning, don’t forget these recommended visits can save you a lot of time and money.

Because these check-ups can catch dental problems before they spiral out of control, you won’t need to arrange further—and often more invasive—dental procedures in the future. This can save you a great deal of money. Even straightforward procedures like root canals can be expensive, especially if you don’t have dental insurance.

To avoid consultations, surgeries, and follow-up visits, get your regular dental cleanings. Untreated dental problems, including cavities and gum disease, can develop faster than you'd think!

Better Overall Health

Many patients aren’t aware that their oral health plays a huge role in their overall physical health. Sometimes, issues with your teeth can even indicate that something’s not right elsewhere in the body.

For example, painful mouth issues can cause serious pain and insomnia, and tooth decay that goes untreated for too long can lead to bacterial infections.



In addition, your dentist will watch for gum disease, which is linked to conditions like heart disease, respiratory disease, and diabetes. Fortunately, detecting gum disease early can help to treat and even reverse it, reducing your risk.

Enhancing Your Smile

Visit an Expert Dentist in Brewster, NY

From addressing current tooth decay to preventing future problems, your routine dental cleanings cover a lot of ground. Though it might be tempting to skip or postpone your visit, make sure you’re climbing into the dentist’s chair at least once or twice per year.

If you’re still looking for a trusted dentist in Brewster, NY, our team is here to help! We welcome new patients, and we offer convenient early, late, and weekend appointments for your convenience. To check the health of your smile, request an appointment today.