Teeth Cleaning and Your Dental Checkup

For some people, a dental checkup for teeth cleaning is a dreadful experience. The noise and probing are more than enough to make them stay away from any dental clinic. A dental cleaning is not at all painful or invasive. Knowing the steps in a regular dental cleaning may put patients at ease. Below are the common dental cleaning procedures in any dental practice.

Oral examination

Dentists always begin their dental cleaning with a thorough inspection of the patient’s mouth. This is crucial in determining any injury or damage. The number of teeth and the condition of the mouth are important to note, as well. The dentist needs to pinpoint any inflamed gums and other signs of periodontitis. The dentist will note all the information and let the patient know about them before the dental cleaning starts.

Dental calculus and plaque removal

During the dental checkup, the dentist will use a scaler and a small, round mirror to remove tartar and plaque along the gumline and in between teeth. Patients usually hear a scraping sound. Some patients have more dental calculus than others. The sound may last a while if there is a lot of tartar to remove. This may be the most challenging part of the dental cleaning for both patient and dentist.

Gritty, thorough cleaning

Using a high-power electric toothbrush, the dentist follows up the scaling with more cleaning. The grinding noise may be overwhelming to some patients. This deep-cleaning technique dislodges any residual tartar. Dentists use a flavored toothpaste that has a gritty consistency. It scrubs the teeth, leaving them smooth and polished after the dental checkup. Getting a dental scrubbing treatment like this two times a year is a good idea.

Professional flossing

Regular flossing at home is a good way to prevent plaque and tartar formation. The flossing that dentists provide is more effective than any patient can do at home. A dentist can floss the patient’s teeth while inspecting any problem spots that may cause the gums to bleed. When the dentist does this after gritty brushing, it helps remove the tiniest remnant of tartar left between the teeth or along the gumline.

Thorough rinsing

After the dentist scales the patient’s teeth, the dentist asks the patient to rinse thoroughly. The same thing happens after the gritty brushing and flossing. Thorough rinsing flushes out the dislodged particles of tartar and food from the mouth. It makes sure that there is no harmful component left in the patient’s mouth.

Fluoride treatment

This is the last step of a good dental cleaning. The dentist places the fluoride substance into a mouthpiece that the patient wears for about a minute. As a final step to the dental cleaning, the dentist can paint a coating of fluoride varnish to the patient’s teeth. This coating hardens as saliva touches it, so the patient can drink and eat right away.