Dental Cleaning is usually performed by Registered Dental Hygienists or Dentists. The familiar procedure of cleaning teeth is referred to as prophylaxis, which may be described as: “scaling and polishing to remove coronal plaque, calculus and stains above the gums.” The purpose of the cleaning and polishing is basically to leave the surfaces of your teeth clean and smooth so that bacteria are unable to stick to them, which will make it easier to keep your teeth clean during your regular home care. We call it good maintenance for patients who have a healthy mouth with no gum or bone problems.

Other procedures exist for patients who have any bone loss, periodontal disease, or infection around their teeth. If you have mobility of your teeth, bleeding, receded areas where your gums have pulled away from your teeth, or gaps where the spaces around the roots of your teeth are exposed, regular/standard cleaning is not the best method of cleaning for you.

Your cleaning appointment will include an exam and the following:

• Removal of calculus (tartar): Calculus is hardened plaque that has been left on the tooth for sometime and is now firmly attached to the tooth surface. Calculus forms above and below the gum line, and can only be removed with special dental instruments.
• Removal of plaque: Plaque is a sticky, almost invisible film that forms on the teeth. It is a growing colony of living bacteria, food debris, and saliva. The bacteria produce toxins (poisons) that inflame the gums. This inflammation is the start of periodontal disease!
• Teeth polishing: Remove stain and plaque that is not otherwise removed during tooth brushing and scaling.

• Prophylaxis is recommended twice annually as a preventative measure, but should be performed every 3-4 months on periodontitis sufferers.  Though gum disease cannot be completely reversed, prophylaxis is one of the tools we can use to effectively halt its destructive progress.