Teeth Cleaning
Professional teeth cleaning is intended to remove any excess tartar (calcium deposits or calculus) and plaque (sticky film with bacteria) from your teeth, leaving them smooth, clean and polished. Good oral hygiene is important not only for your smile, but for your overall health as well. Gum infections and periodontal disease are related to heart disease, stroke and preterm.
The Check-Up
Heathy Teeth and Gums
Your dental professional will check for cavities and to see if there is plaque or tartar on your teeth. Plaque is a clear, sticky layer of bacteria. If it is not removed, it can harden and become tartar. You cannot remove tartar with brushing and flossing. If plaque and tartar build up on your teeth, they can cause oral diseases.
Next, your gums will be checked. This will be done with a special tool to measure the spaces between your teeth and gums. With healthy gums, the spaces are shallow. When people have gum disease, the spaces may become deeper.
The check-up should also include your tongue, throat, face, head, and neck. This is to look for any signs of trouble, swelling, or cancer.
Plaque and Tartar Build-Up
The Cleaning
Brushing and flossing help clean the plaque from your teeth, but you can't remove tartar at home. During the cleaning, your dental professional will use special tools to remove tartar. This is called scaling.
After your teeth are scaled, they may be polished. In most cases, a gritty paste is used for this. It helps to remove any surface stains on your teeth.
The final step is flossing. Your dental professional will use floss to make sure the areas between your teeth are clean.
How often should i have my teeth cleaned?
The dental experts recommend that you visit your dentist at least once a year, preferably twice a year to get a routine examination and cleaning. If you have one of the symptoms as shown below, you should get your teeth cleaned more often in order to prevent the recurrence of infections or disease. You should also have your teeth cleaned more often if you suffer from chronic conditions such as diabetes or heart disease due to their link to dental problems.