ROUTINE CLEANINGS AT GLEN COVE DENTIST
In Glen Cove, routine cleanings are essential for maintaining optimal oral health and function. During these visits, the dental team will carefully clean, polish, and floss your teeth to remove hardened plaque, tartar, and bacteria. Together with diligent brushing and flossing at home, routine cleanings can help achieve and maintain healthy teeth and gums.
Types of Dental Cleanings
During a routine cleaning, the dentist will remove bacteria, plaque, and tartar buildup from your tooth surfaces. They may also perform other preventive services during the same visit, such as dental sealants and fluoride treatments.
There are different types of dental cleanings, based on your needs. But all have the same end goal — to remove harmful bacteria and reduce your risk for dental issues.
- Prophylaxis. For people who have healthy teeth and gums, this is a routine, preventive cleaning. It’s the most common type of dental cleaning recommended every six months on average.
- Gross debridement. People who haven’t been to the dentist in over a year, or who have extensive plaque buildup, can benefit from a gross debridement. It’s similar to a typical prophylaxis, but it may take longer. The main purpose of debridement is to determine if there are any issues that weren’t initially diagnosed before the dental cleaning.
- Scaling and root planing. Also known as a deep dental cleaning, scaling and root planing reaches deep beneath your gum line to flush out bacteria and hardened tartar (calculus) around your tooth roots. Dentists reserve this procedure for those with mild to moderate periodontitis or gum disease. People who undergo scaling and root planing must receive local anesthesia to numb their gums during the procedure.
What is Involved in a Routine Cleaning?
Treatments commonly performed during a dental cleaning include:
Scaling
During this step, we will use hand instruments called scalers to remove plaque and tartar from your tooth surfaces. Sometimes, he may also use an ultrasonic scaler, which vibrates and sprays a jet of water. If you hear scraping sounds during this step, do not be alarmed, as it shouldn’t hurt.
Polishing
The dentist will polish your teeth using a soft rubber cup and a special paste or pumice. This removes biofilm on your tooth surfaces and reduces plaque buildup without damaging your enamel.
Preventive treatments
Depending on your unique oral health needs, the dentist may recommend additional preventive services, such as dental sealants or fluoride treatments. If you have back teeth, namely premolars or molars, with deep grooves or crevices, dental sealants can help protect these areas from harmful, cavity-causing bacteria. Fluoride treatments help strengthen your enamel and reduce your risk for cavities. Children and adults alike can benefit from sealants and fluoride treatments. Ask our dentists if these preventive treatments are right for you.
What are the Advantages of Routine Cleanings?
Routine cleanings offer a number of benefits, including:
- Reduced risk of serious oral health issues, such as cavities and gum disease.
- Improved whole-body health. Healthcare providers have recognized the link between oral health and whole-body health. Routine cleanings can help reduce your risk of ailments such as heart disease, stroke, and dementia.
- Bad breath prevention. Hardened plaque and tartar can cause bad breath. Routine cleanings can help keep halitosis at bay by removing harmful microbes (microorganisms that cause disease) from your teeth surfaces.
- Reduced cost. Preventive dental care, such as routine cleanings every 6 months, helps prevent issues before they start. Preventive treatments are definitely much more affordable than restorative treatments like fillings, crowns, and bridges.
