Every six months, your dental office may call to remind you of an upcoming dental cleaning. You may be tempted to skip their call or cancel your appointment without a second thought, but what you don't know is that just missing a dental cleaning can affect your oral health.

Before you think it's no big deal, learn what happens to your mouth every time you don't clean your teeth.

What happens when you don't clean your teeth

While you may think that not cleaning your teeth is no big deal, it is. Even if you're the world's best tooth brusher, you'll still miss the plaque in your mouth. After a while, the plaque will harden into tartar, and once it hardens, only a dentist can remove it from your mouth during a dental cleaning. Plaque can also build up along the gum line, which can lead to gum infections.

As plaque and tartar build up, without professional cleaning methods to help you clean your teeth, cavities and gingivitis can begin to form. You get bad breath, too.

No clean your teeth for a year

If you don't clean your teeth next time, gingivitis and small cavities can get worse without treatment. What used to be simple dental treatments to restore dental health is now dental fillings and root planing and cleaning. Your cavities may have no symptoms, but you may notice a sensitivity to temperature or sweets. Your gums may start to bleed when you brush and floss, or they may look red and swollen.

No teeth cleaning for two years

If you haven't had your teeth cleaned in two years, your gums may have progressed to the second or third stage of periodontal disease, which can lead to receding gums, deep pocket gums, and even bone loss. If you have not yet resolved your tooth decay, you may notice a toothache and lingering sensitivity that lasts at least 30 seconds or longer, indicating that the decay has reached the nerve of the tooth.

No dental cleaning for more than five years

If you haven't had your teeth cleaned in 5 years, you may have serious gum disease and tooth decay. At this point, you may need extensive dental treatment or tooth extraction to restore your oral health.

While not every patient will experience these exact outcomes as a result of not cleaning their teeth, it is possible. Visiting a dentist every 6 months can help keep your teeth healthy and healthy. We can also treat problems at an early stage so they don't continue to develop. The longer you go without a dental cleaning, the more invasive and expensive your treatment will be.