When you stop in for your twice yearly dental check-up (you are going twice a year aren’t you?) you’ll sometimes find that your dentist schedules a cleaning for your teeth. This is part of a healthy and effective routine of preventative dental care that will keep your teeth healthy, sturdy, and with you for a lifetime. If you’ve been scheduled for your first dental cleaning, or it’s just your first one in a while, you may be wondering what’s going to take place during this procedure. We put together this handy little guide to help you learn what to expect.
Getting Your Teeth Cleaned By A Professional
Professional dental cleanings take can take between 30 minutes and an hour depending on the degree of cleaning involved and certain other factors. During your cleaning you’ll be attended to by your hygienist and your dentist, who will both be working to get your teeth sparkling clean and get those hard to reach areas you may not be able to get at home. In addition to this you’ll experience:
-
Tartar Removal – One problem with plaque is that it can mineralize into a hard substance known as tartar. It tends to form in hard-to-reach places and will produce a thick coating on your teeth brushing can’t remove. A dentist uses a scaler to remove this from your teeth, or an ultrasonic tool.
-
Fluoride Treatment – Fluoride is an important part of maintaining strong and healthy teeth, and its often applied in the form of a gel, liquid, or foam during your cleaning process.
-
Polishing Your Teeth – We know, it sounds a bit ridiculous to have your teeth polished, but there’s a practical reason for it. Polishing your teeth smooths the surface and reduces the number of places that plaque and tartar can build up and cling to. Polished teeth help make your whole oral care routine more effective.
-
Oral Cancer Screening – This is another process that happens during your regular cleaning. Oral health is relatively easy to treat if its caught early, and that means that these cleanings are vital to your long-term health.
-
Oral Hygiene Education – If your dentist notices any deficiencies in your oral care routine they’re going to mention it during your check-up. This isn’t just an admonishment for poor oral care, but a chance to teach you how to do better so you don’t have issues in the future.
These are just some of the things that happen during your professional dental cleaning, and are an important part of why twice-yearly visits are essential to long term oral health. If it’s been a while since you’ve been in for your dental cleaning pick up the phone and make an appointment with Dr. Kelly Zhao at Arc Dental. They’ve been proudly serving the Houston, TX area for over a decade, and are always looking to help new patients like you become part of their family and live a life of great oral health.