Professional Cleaning and Polishing Teeth – Designed for Clean, Fresh and Healthy Teeth

Even if you brush and floss regularly, a layer builds up over your teeth called plaque. This eventually hardens to become something called tartar or calculus and can give rise to serious conditions like cavities, tooth decay and gum disease. A perfect solution to plaque and tartar is regular professional tooth cleaning. Expert dentists performing dental care Apalachicola, FL share tips on professional dental cleaning.

In professional cleaning of teeth, a certified dental hygienist removes plaque, tartar and stains from your teeth. You should get your teeth cleaned in this way periodically in order to keep them healthy. It is recommended by most dentists to undergo this procedure every 6 to 12 months to reduce the risk of periodontal disease.

Plaque is a sticky substance that contains millions of bacteria. These bacteria cause tooth decay and gum disease if not removed on time by daily brushing and flossing, and periodic professional cleaning. Tartar is a hardened calcified deposit formed from plaque which does the same harm to teeth.

Instruments Used

For cleaning your teeth, your dentist will use specialized instruments and gently remove these deposits from teeth without damaging them. Before the procedure all the instruments are put through a careful cleaning, sterilizing and disinfecting procedure to ensure safety and high quality. The dentist will also use a dental mirror to find hard-to-see corners of mouth. Dental mirrors are small round mirrors connected to elongated handles and help dentists to see signs of swelling, irritation, bleeding, decay or tartar.

Usually the first instrument used is an ultrasonic instrument which emits mild vibrations that loosen larger pieces of tartar. It even sprays subsequent mists of water to rinse out the loosened debris. The ultrasonic instrument has curved and rounded tips that are constantly in motion; however, the motion is adjusted as per patient’s comfort.

Once larger chunks of tartar are removed, the dentist will use fine handheld instruments. These are often referred to as scalers or curettes and are aimed at removing smaller pieces of plaque or tartar from teeth and smooth the surfaces of teeth. Each tooth is scraped individually to ensure total removal of tartar.

Once surfaces of teeth are cleaned, teeth are polished by the dentist. The polishing instrument has a soft rubber cup that spins over teeth to smooth them. The rubber cup contains prophylaxis paste, a grainy solution resembling toothpaste. The cup spins over teeth and creates a smooth, shiny surface. Some dentists also apply fluoride as a concluding step of the cleaning procedure. This fluoride is kept in patient’s mouth for 30 seconds and then it should be spit out. It helps to strengthen and protect teeth from plaque and tartar.

Is it Painful?

No! All the steps in the cleaning procedure are generally painless. If you feel pain at any stage, you should tell it to your dentist, so that s/he can adopt an alternative option which won’t be painful for you.

Mostly the cleaning lasts for 30 minutes and is done with the patient reclined in the dentist chair. After the procedure, you will feel fresh and clean. So, it’s designed not only for cosmetic purpose but also for health purposes.

Visit LocalDentalClinicDirectory.com and find a dentist in your area to get your teeth professionally cleaned and feel clean, fresh and healthy.