Dental Cleanings

Routine dental cleanings are important to maintain good oral hygiene. A professional cleaning by a registered dental hygienist involves removing mineralized plaque (tartar) that may develop even with careful brushing and flossing, particularly in areas that are difficult to reach. It is recommended you have your teeth checked and cleaned once every six months.

How it's done.

You can expect your dental cleaning to last between 30 minutes and an hour. A licensed dental hygienist will do the cleaning, and the dentist may come in for an exam at the end. Most people find that dental cleanings are painless, and do not cause any discomfort.

There are two important steps to a dental cleaning. The first step is scaling the teeth, whereby the hygienist will remove the plaque and tartar from the tooth surfaces. This can be performed by hand or with ultrasonic scalers depending on the hygienist's preference. Typically, the hygienist may also find the need to perform a more invasive deep cleaning depending on the severity of the pocket depths and debris accumulation.

The second step is polishing and flossing to remove any final plaque and ensure a smooth surface.