Dental Hygiene

A dental cleaning is a procedure done by a dentist or dental hygienist to get into hard to reach areas of the gums and teeth in order to remove bacteria and food debris. 

 

Dental cleanings should be scheduled at least twice per year, so that patients can have plaque and tartar scraped off of their teeth. Tartar is a hard substance that adheres to the surface of a tooth. Too much plaque and tartar can cause gum disease and cavities. A dentist has special tools that can remove this plaque and tartar so that teeth are fresh and clean again. Because plaque and tartar buildup happen on a daily basis, patients should still brush and floss regularly.

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During a dental cleaning the dentist will get inside the hard to reach areas and clean out the spaces in between the gums and teeth. If the patient is suffering from gum disease or early gum disease, a deep cleaning, periodontal scaling or root planing may be administered. In this procedure, the dentist gets into the flaps of gum under the tooth and into the pockets where bacteria can hide. A patient with gums pockets deeper than 5 mm and bleeding is usually recommended to have a root planing or scaling. Patients with periodontal disease need to have more than two cleanings per year.