What is Teeth Cleaning?
Planning and following a consistent schedule of dental visits is essential in maintaining healthy teeth, gums, and good oral health overall. An important part of your regular dentistry routine should be teeth cleaning at least once a year, but preferably twice a year. An appointment every six months helps you avoid more serious issues that can result if you delay dental care.
Even if you find the teeth cleaning process to be somewhat stressful—the poking and scraping the dental hygienist does while checking your teeth, the sometimes strange noises from the instruments, or even the occasional jaw discomfort—visits for cleaning are very important. Knowing exactly what a teeth cleaning appointment involves, as described below, can help ease any apprehension you might have.
Step 1: Physical Exam
Before beginning the cleaning process, your dental hygienist conducts a physical exam of your entire mouth. Using a small mirror, he or she checks your teeth and gums for signs of cavities, structural issues, inflamed gums (gingivitis), or other possible concerns to relay to your dentist.
Step 2: Removing plaque and tartar
Your dental hygienist uses an instrument called a scaler to scrape and remove plaque and tartar around your gum line and in between your teeth.
Step 3: Cleaning with Toothpaste
To fully clean your teeth, the dental hygienist brushes them with a high-powered electric instrument. The special toothpaste used has a gritty consistency that gently scrubs your teeth.
Step 4: Expert Flossing
Even if you floss regularly at home, your dental hygienist provides expert flossing to deeply clean between your teeth and locate any potential trouble areas, especially bleeding gums.
Step 5: Rinsing
Rinsing, usually with liquid fluoride, cleans your mouth and helps remove any leftover debris after the scraping, brushing, and flossing steps.
Step 6: Fluoride Treatment
The last step of the teeth cleaning process is fluoride treatment, which serves as a protectant for your teeth to help fight against cavities for several months. Your dental hygienist uses a gel or paste on a small rotating electric brush to apply the fluoride to your teeth. The fluoride hardens after contact with the saliva in your mouth.
The Final Exam by Your Dentist
Once your hygienist is finished with the teeth cleaning process, your dentist completes your visit by fully examining your mouth to determine whether you need additional care beyond cleaning. Depending on what your dentist finds, he or she will recommend a treatment plan for issues such as cavities or problems with your gums, dealing first with the care you need most. For children, dentists often recommend molar sealants to help prevent cavities in hard-to-brush areas.
Usually, one of your twice-yearly teeth cleaning appointments involves x-rays. Your dentist uses those to look for potential problems with the tooth roots or structural integrity.
Make and Keep Appointments for Regular Cleaning
Issues your dentist finds do not have to be overwhelming for you or cause unneeded additional stress. By making and keeping regular appointments for teeth cleaning, you are already ahead of the game in finding and fixing important oral health problems with the help of your dental hygienist and dentist.