LETTERS: Getting your teeth and gums cleaned regularly is important. Routine dental cleanings are designed not only to boost oral health, but also to prevent costly dental issues down the road.
Avoiding teeth cleaning is not a money-saving move. Gum disease will affect most, if not all, dental treatments in a negative way, including braces, fixing cavities, getting implants, bridges and even smile makeovers.
If you are asking your dentist to do veneers (porcelain facings to improve the shape and size of teeth) but ignoring your gum condition, most likely those veneers will go to waste in the coming years.
Teeth can move after using braces not only because people forget to wear their retainers, but also due to chronic gum disease.
Imagine all that effort and money put into wearing braces going to waste because of neglected gum health.
There is also a myth that teeth cleaning will make them thinner. This is untrue.
Teeth cleaning, when done with a registered dental professional, will keep gums healthy and spare you from tooth infection or decay.
The procedure itself does not directly cause bleeding.
The bleeding, if any, is due to inflammation and disease progression in the gums itself. Most of the time, the bleeding after scaling, if any, reduces within hours. One can already visualise improvement with healthier looking gums within the initial weeks.
Think of teeth cleaning as the time of the year you go to the doctor for an annual check-up. It is good to get your gums checked too.
Gum problems have a connection to other health issues, like diabetes, heart conditions and even pre-term babies.
A regular annual scaling can help avoid big health problems.
DR DARSHA MEYYAPPAN
Dental specialist,
Kota Damansara, Selangor
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times
