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Dental Cleaning
A dental cleaning is the first step towards a beautiful smile!
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Do you want clean teeth and healthy gums so your smile increases your natural beauty rather then detract from it? Are you tired of teeth that bleed and ache after meals? Are you embarrassed by breath that doesn't smell great?
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A professional dental cleaning with a dental hygienist is the first and most important step towards achieving beautiful, clean, healthy teeth and gums that you are proud to display with your smile.
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Lets discuss the ins and outs of a dental cleaning to understand why they are important and how they should fit in the overall plan of having a healthy and beautiful smile.
What is a dental Cleaning?
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A dental hygienist removes bacteria, bacterial deposits (plaque and calculus) and food debris that cause health problems in your mouth.
There are two primary types of dental cleanings your dental hygienist can use to combat gingivitis and gum disease:
1) Routine dental cleanings focus on debris at the gum line or the enamel above the gum line.
2) Deep teeth cleanings:
Known as "scaling and root planing", the focus is on scraping away the plaque and hardened debris (also known as calculus or tartar) below the gumline and smoothing exposed root surfaces to help them stay cleaner.
It is extremely important to have a professional teeth cleaning regularly to remove these deposits, as they will lead to sore gums, bleeding gums and eventually gum disease that will destroy the bone that supports your teeth.​​​​​​​
What are the signs that I need a dental cleaning?
1) Red inflamed gums - aka Gingivitis
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2) Bleeding gums - spontaneously or when you eat or floss
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3) Dark staining near the gums or on the enamel
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4) Teeth that are mobile (move around easily)
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5) Teeth that hurt to chew on
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6) Tartar or Calculus buildup on the teeth - cement like debris that starts collecting at the gum line and progresses to covering more and more of the enamel of your teeth. Progresses in color from white to yellow to orange to dark brown or black.
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7) Bad breath - aka halitosis
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8) Spontaneous aching and throbbing of tissue around your teeth. Will often feel very similar to a tooth ache.
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9) Greyish white areas of dead gum tissue between your teeth. Typically this is very painful and the mouth smells very bad.
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What are the parts of a professional teeth cleaning?
There are 3 phases to a teeth cleaning process:
1) Discussing any health conditions or changes and how that effects your teeth. This includes checking your teeth and gums for markers that indicate the current health of your mouth.
2) Cleaning the bacterial debris and food debris off of the teeth and polishing your teeth to look and feel their best
a) Special hand instruments called scalers are used to remove hardened bacterial debris. If the debris is especially hard, ultrasonic scalers can be used to gently remove the hardened calculus.
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b) Polish is applied with a soft rubber cup to remove bacterial biofilm, stains and rough surfaces. This leaves your teeth bright, smooth and clean.
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c) Your hygienist will floss through all contacts between the teeth, removing any final debris and looking for anything that would keep you from being able to clean well between your teeth.
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d) Once a year your hygienist will take radiographs (aka X-rays) and have the dentist complete a dental exam looking for any cavities that need treatment.
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e) Fluoride, a very safe hardening agent that helps protect your teeth, will be applied to your teeth as the last step in the cleaning process.
3) Coaching from the hygienist on possible improvements to your home cleaning methods.
Why are dental cleanings needed?
Bacterial buildup and rotting food debris are constantly waging war on the health of your mouth, and if left untreated will escalate into gum disease. Lets explore what that means for your teeth and gums, and your whole body:
Local effects
Bacteria are always in our mouths, and the body is constantly fighting back trying minimize the bacteria's effect on our system.
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To increase their chances of staying in the mouth, bacteria create a sticky material called plaque that helps them stick to your teeth.
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Over time food debris and minerals from your saliva harden this plaque into a material similar to cement. We call it calculus, or tartar. This hardened debris acts like a bacteria hotel, protecting the bacteria and allowing them to multiply.
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Out of control bacterial growth and hardened debris growth cause a very unhealthy state in the gums and bone around the teeth, called periodontal disease. Left untreated, the surrounding bone and gum tissue will slowly be destroyed. This will eventually lead to losing the surrounding teeth.
Systemic effects
Over 120 major systemic medical conditions can be directly linked to out of control bacterial growth in the mouth. This includes cancer, heart disease, alzheimers, diabetes, arthritis, etc.
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None of these major health concerns are caused by oral bacteria, but bacterial toxins have clearly been shown to accelerate and worsen the development of these diseases.
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Many studies have estimated a healthy mouth adds 10-15 years to your expected life span.
How often should I have a dental cleaning?
Most people can maintain good oral health if they clean their teeth daily at home and have professional cleanings every 6 months. The American Dental Association recommends visiting your hygienist for a cleaning every 6 months at a minimum.
How often YOU need a professional teeth cleaning varies based on how well you clean your teeth on a daily basis. People that don't consistently clean or can't clean well based on dexterity issues will need a dental hygienist to clean their teeth more frequently, typically every 3-4 months.
What are the benefits of a dental cleaning?
1) Bright, clean teeth
2) Fresh breath
3) Healthy gums
4) Prevention of bone loss -
5) Polished and clean feeling teeth - they feel so much better when all the bacterial debris is removed!
6) Improved systemic health
