Oral hygiene is critical to maintaining strong and healthy teeth. In addition to proper daily brushing and flossing, a thorough dental exam and cleaning is recommended at an interval tailored specifically to your dental needs. This will help to protect your teeth from cavities (tooth decay), as well as periodontal/gum diseases. 

Maintaining ongoing good oral hygiene helps to decrease the risks and complications of health issues such as diabetes, stroke, and heart disease which can be associated with gum disease.

A dental cleaning (scaling and root planing) is the process of using hand and ultrasonic instruments to remove tartar from teeth. Tartar (dental calculus) is plaque that contains bacteria and minerals that harden on to teeth over time by saliva. Scaling is necessary to remove tartar because it cannot be removed with regular brushing and flossing alone. A professional dental cleaning will help prevent the problems that tartar can have on the gums and the bone surrounding teeth (gingivitis and periodontal disease).