Things You Must Know During A Dental Cleaning Procedure

Patients go to the dentist for a regular dental checkup to address issues like cavities. The experience can be scary for anyone who will go through the treatment for the first time. This guide will set your expectations on what happens during a dental cleaning procedure and help you reduce your anxiety.

Step-by-step deep cleaning

You need the help of a dental professional to clean your teeth and gums thoroughly. As a first-timer, what are the things that you need to know when seeing the dentist?

1. Mouth examination

Your dentist or dental hygienist will examine your teeth and gums using a dental cleaning tool. Using a concave mirror, they will check for issues that might be present in your mouth. These include damages to your tooth, food deposits that might lead to disease, and signs of gingivitis.

2. Dental scaling

The dentist will get rid of the tartar and plaque by using a scaler. Hearing a scraping sound is common during scaling, and you’ll hear more as the dentist finds more problematic areas. Rest assured that this is not a cause for you to panic. 

3. Electric brushing

After the tartar removal, the dentist will use teeth cleaning tools such as a high-powered electric brush. This removes anything that the scaler missed. The brush also creates a soft, grinding sound and is also normal and painless.

4. Flossing and rinsing

You can’t reach all the spots in your mouth, that’s why you need your dentist for this. Your dentist will then floss your teeth to remove excess toothpaste during the brushing. After flossing, you will rinse with liquid fluoride, which helps strengthen your teeth.

5. Fluoride treatment

Fluoride treatment is the last step in the dental cleaning procedure. A foamy or sticky gel is placed in a mouthpiece and worn over your teeth. It helps protect the teeth against cavities, and its effects can last for a few months.

Types of dental cleaning procedure

The dental cleaning procedure you need may not be the same as others. There are ways of deep cleaning teeth that your dentist can do for you, depending on your dental issues.

Routine cleaning

Routine cleaning is commonly called oral prophylaxis, and it works best for maintenance. The treatment can be for everyone, and oral prophylaxis is regularly done twice a year. 

Deep cleaning

Usually referred to as teeth scaling and root planing, deep cleaning is done for individuals who have or are at risk of contracting gum disease. The procedure cleans off the plaque that can be the cause of loose teeth or bleeding gums.

It takes about 30 to 60 minutes to complete the procedure, depending on the condition of your teeth and gums.  You can consider your teeth cleaning options with your Burlington dentist, an expert in deep cleaning teeth.