What a Dental Cleaning Involve

Cleaning your teeth by a professional dental hygienist is critical to maintaining good oral health. A hygienist can not only clean your teeth better than you could at home, but a dentist can also check your teeth and gums for problems at the same time. Otherwise, these problems would go unnoticed until they caused significant pain and expense.

People are often afraid of going to the dentist because they don’t know what to expect. This is especially true for children and adults who have not visited a dentist in a long time. At Ideal Dental, we want our patients to feel at ease and confident in our team’s abilities. In this blog, we will go over what to expect during a typical dental cleaning.

Dental cleanings begin with a thorough examination of your mouth.

A skilled and friendly dental hygienist will begin your cleaning by inspecting the inside of your mouth with a handheld and angled mirror. The mirror allows the hygienist to see inflammation, tooth decay, and other issues that would be difficult to detect with just a visual inspection. If any issues arise that require the dentist‘s attention before the cleaning begins, your dental hygienist will notify you.

The next step is to remove the plaque and tartar.

The hygienist uses a scaler to remove plaque and tartar that has accumulated on your teeth, between teeth, and on your gums while using the dental mirror for guidance. If the hygienist has to spend a significant portion of the appointment scraping plaque and tartar, it means you should brush and floss more frequently at home. Although you will not be able to remove all of the plaque and tartar on your own, brushing and flossing at least twice a day will significantly reduce the buildup and your discomfort with the scraping process.

Your teeth are polished by a dental hygienist.

Once your hygienist is satisfied with the amount of plaque and tartar removed, your teeth will be polished with a high-powered electric brush. The toothpaste on the electric brush will feel gritty on your teeth, which is necessary for scrubbing. You can select from a variety of toothpaste flavours, and you will be able to rinse your mouth with water shortly afterwards.

Using a high-powered electric brush to polish your teeth is safe to do during your biannual cleaning and exam. However, you should not do it at home or schedule more frequent dental cleanings because the process can be damaging to your tooth enamel.

Fluoride Treatment and Flossing

Flossing your teeth and applying fluoride treatment are the last tasks your dental hygienist performs before calling a dentist into the room. Your teeth and gums will then be visually examined by a dentist. If the dentist finds any problems, you will need to schedule a follow-up appointment. Otherwise, you are not required to return for another six months.

If you or your child has not had a cleaning and exam in more than six months, contact your nearest Ideal Dental office today to make an appointment with one of our trusted dentists.