Many people view going to the dental office for your "routine" check up and cleaning just that  ROUTINE.  Recent research is proving that the "scraping" that your Registered Dental Hygienist does is more than just routine it definitely is PREVENTION.  I'm not just talking prevention from periodontal (gum) disease.  I'm talking heart attacks, strokes, diabetes and low birth weight babies, just to name a few problems. There are tons of studies that show people with periodontal disease are more likely to have heart problems than people who don't have gum problems.  I know you're thinking how can this all be related?  Well, it's due to the bacteria that lives in our mouths.  There are over 300 different types of bacteria that live and breed in our mouths.  I hate to say it but our mouths are nothing more than a toilet bowl or worse. GROSS!!! That is why it is SO important to visit your dental hygienist regularly.  When she/he is "scraping" around your teeth she/he is removing the harmful bacteria that has built up over the last 3-6 months (providing that you have been keeping your regular preventive visits).  If it has been along time since you visited your dental professional then you may require a more in-depth treatment to get your gums back to a healthy state.

So don't neglect visiting your Registered Dental Hygienist.  You may be saving more than your teeth!!