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A Professional cleaning is the type of cleaning you can only receive from a dentist or dental hygienist. A routine dental cleaning should include these three steps: scaling, flossing, and polishing. Your Hygienist may also measure around your gums which is called a perio-chart. This lets the hygienist know if there is active gum-disease, and helps determine which type of cleaning each specific patient will need.
What is scaling?
This is the removal of plaque and tartar from all tooth surfaces with different types of scaling being used in relation to the amount of plaque and tartar.
Dental hygienists perform traditional scaling by hand. Advances in technology have led to more modern methods such as electric scalers, which allow dental cleanings to be done in much shorter period of time.
Ultrasonic scaling uses a machine called a cavitron, which uses sound waves to remove tartar. People who have a pacemaker cannot get ultrasonic scaling because the ultrasonic sound can interfere with the function of the pacemaker.
What is polishing?
There are two kinds of polishing, air polishing and rubber tip polishing. Prophy-jetŪ a type of air polishing works by spraying high pressured water mixed with baking soda paste onto the surface of your teeth. This powered water can wash away the residue and plaque, while the baking soda removes the brown and yellow stains and neutralizes the acidic conditions in your mouth. Rubber cup polishing employs a low-speed hand piece with a rubber cup tip mounted on the top that contains a polishing paste that is made of abrasive ingredients ideal for removing stains.
The amount of time needed for dental cleaning depends on factors from plaque deposits, complication of dental restorations and your gingival health. People with more tartar and plaque buildup need longer appointments than those who have relatively cleaner teeth. In a moderate case dental cleaning should take about 1 hour. Cleaning should be performed every six months to prevent excessive plaque build up. Lack of cleaning allows the growth of plaque, which if left unchecked can lead to the various types of conditions involved in tooth decay.
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