Good oral hygiene is essential since it aims to improve your oral health and general well-being. Having healthy teeth can enhance your functions like chewing, speech, and aesthetics. Aesthetically enhanced smile boosts your self-confidence and social interaction.
The dental specialists at the dental clinic in San Jose, offer professional teeth cleanings to safeguard the integrity and vitality of your oral cavity.
What is teeth cleaning?
Teeth cleaning is a routine part of oral hygiene that involves the removal of dental plaque (a sticky thin biofilm) from the tooth surface to prevent dental problems like cavities, gingivitis, and periodontal diseases.
Teeth cleaning are of two types, namely:
- At-home care through regular brushing, flossing, mouthwash, and interdental brushes
- In-office professional cleaning through deep scaling and root planing that are offered by trained dental professionals like hygienists.
What are the advantages of professional teeth cleaning?
Sometimes regular brushing and flossing are not sufficient to maintain good oral hygiene. You may require advanced professional cleaning, especially if the plaque accumulates subgingivally, causing deep gingival pockets, or has hardened to form calculus.
Professional scaling and root planing offer the following merits:
- Halt the advancement of gum disease to periodontitis. Thus preventing damage to the underlying alveolar bone
- Treat current infections and promote healing
- Help to eliminate plaque and calculus above (supragingival) and below the gum line (subgingival)
- Eliminate bad breath (halitosis) caused by bad breath
- Protect the roots of your teeth
What happens during teeth cleaning?
You can expect the following steps during a routine professional teeth cleaning procedure:
- Your dentist will initially examine your mouth to assess the condition of your teeth and gums. With the help of ultrasonic instruments, your dentist will remove plaque and calculus from the tooth surface.
- After your teeth are plaque and calculus-free, your dentist will use a high-speed electric brush to polish your teeth. A gritty toothpaste is used to gently scrub your tooth surfaces.
- You will be made to rinse your mouth using liquid fluoride. If required, you will be given a fluoride treatment in the form of a foamy gel that is placed in a mouthpiece that fits into your mouth. This is kept for 1 to 2 minutes and then removed.
Professional teeth cleanings are necessary at least twice a year to maintain good oral hygiene, which is not possible with brushing and flossing alone. Regular dental visits are essential to detect dental problems at an early stage treat them accordingly and prevent further deterioration.
