The Various Kinds of Dental Cleanings
To help maintain healthy teeth and ensure you don't have any oral health issues you should visit your dentist twice a year for routine teeth cleanings.
But did you know that there are different cleaning techniques your dentist can employ depending on your specific needs?
When you understand the many kinds of dental cleaning treatments, you will be better able to comprehend the terminology your dentist uses as well as what it takes to maintain your oral health and keep your smile bright.
Prophylaxis Cleaning
A prophylaxis cleaning is a routine cleaning that is meant to remove a specified amount of plaque and tartar from the surface of your teeth, between your teeth, and on your gums. Most of the time it's performed on patients that have an overall healthy mouth and who practice good oral hygiene. In addition to this, it will remove surface stains from your teeth.
Generally, this cleaning will be performed at one of your regularly scheduled dental appointments. It is also usually performed by a dental hygienist, but your dentist has the skills and knowledge to perform prophylaxis cleaning if required.
Gross Debridement
If you haven't seen a dentist in a long time, you will probably have a fair amount of plaque buildup on and between your teeth, as well as on your gums and tongue. A thorough debridement also called a deep cleaning, is a procedure that clears away plaque and tartar from all areas of your mouth.
Your dentist will inspect your mouth to determine whether or not you require a gross debridement cleaning procedure. If necessary, a thorough debridement is carried out prior to the administration of normal prophylaxis.
Scaling and Root Planing
This more intrusive, non-surgical teeth cleaning method is often recommended for patients that are suffering from gum disorders such as gingivitis or periodontitis.
Your dentist will conduct a comprehensive cleaning of your gums, gum line, and any other tissues that support your teeth. It may take many dental sessions to finish the cleaning since they need to smooth out the surface of your tooth root as well as remove any plaque and tartar that has formed on it.
Periodontal Maintenance
Patients that are experiencing common oral health problems such as gingivitis or periodontitis will often require periodontal care in order to keep these illnesses under control and prevent them from progressing.
These individuals often require many visits over a specific length of time or until all oral health concerns have been addressed in order for the dentist to thoroughly clean their whole mouth.