The key to maintaining optimal oral health and hygiene often beings with routine dental cleanings. Even if you are exceptional at regularly brushing and flossing at home, coming in for a professional teeth cleaning will not only help prevent excessive plaque buildup on the surface of the teeth or any hard-to-reach areas, it will also give Dr. Lipscomb the opportunity to examine your mouth for any problems that might be difficult to catch by the untrained eye. Plaque left untreated can lead to unhealthy gums and tooth decay which is why it is important we are proactive about fighting it off. Because of this, we suggest coming in once every six months for your dental cleaning. Your dental cleaning in our office in Mitchellville will take approximately 30 minutes to complete and will be performed by one of our skilled hygienists.
What will happen during your routine teeth cleaning?
Scaling - Your dental cleaning will begin with scaling. In this process, we will remove plaque and tartar from the surfaces of the teeth. Depending on the amount of plaque and tartar, different removal methods may be used. Scaling is a non-surgical procedure and while scaling was traditionally performed by hand, new and advanced technology has led to more modern techniques, such as the use of electric scalers. Electric scalers have made it possible for us to complete a teeth cleaning with improved efficiency, speed and comfort. On occasion, we may combine the use of both electric and manual scalers to achieve the highest level of results.
Polishing - Polishing is the next step in the cleaning process. To polish the teeth, we take a small rubber cup and attach it to a dental drill. The cup is then dipped into an abrasive polishing compound that kind of feels like a gritty toothpaste. We often provide flavor options for polishing so ask us about those! We then proceed to clean the teeth with the polishing compound. As it rubs the teeth, the gritty texture smooths out the surface of the tooth. Giving the tooth a smooth surface helps minimize the chance of future plaque buildup. If you have a hard time holding your spit, don’t worry, the polishing compound is safe to swallow if necessary.
Flossing - Scaling and polishing are the main steps in the cleaning process, but we often like to wrap up with a quick flossing. Even if you are a great flosser at home, our hygienist will floss your teeth so he or she can take a closer look at your gums and make sure there are no noticeable problems, such as unnecessary bleeding or tenderness. We also like to floss to clean out any debris that might still be hanging around from your scaling and polishing. We want to get everything out, so your mouth feels clean and fresh!
Rinsing - As a final touchup, our hygienist will rinse out your mouth with water to clean out any left behind debris.
We want you to know, we value making your dental cleaning as comfortable as possible. Our hygienists work gently and carefully to make sure the entire cleaning process is relaxing and pain-free. Your comfort is a priority.
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