Dental Cleaning Techniques

Dental cleanings are critical for maintaining healthy teeth and gums. Even though brushing, flossing and using a fluoridated mouthwash at home is a significant part of your oral care regimen, visiting the dentist regularly is also valuable. Dental professionals use a variety of dental cleaning techniques that only can be performed in the dental office. In addition, only licensed dentists and licensed dental hygienists, who work under the supervision of a dentist, can perform such dental cleanings. Licensed dentists must complete four years of dental school, while dental hygienists typically complete a two-year associate degree program.

Regular Cleanings

• You should have your teeth cleaned professionally by a dentist or dental hygienist every six months. A regular teeth cleaning involves the removal of plaque and tartar from the teeth. Plaque is a soft, sticky substance that forms and adheres to the teeth when you eat food. Tartar, also known as calculus, is the hardened form of plaque. Although you can remove plaque by brushing your teeth twice a day and flossing once daily, you cannot remove tartar on your own. As a result, a licensed dental hygienist must scrape off tartar using scalers, particularly sickle scalers that remove large deposits of tartar above the gumline as well as chisel scalers that remove tartar in the contact area of the front teeth. This type of regular cleaning usually requires just one dental office visit.

Debridements

• A gross debridement is another dental cleaning technique. The dental hygienist uses an ultrasonic scaler device with a handpiece and tip to remove tartar from teeth rapidly. This technique involves the conversion of high-frequency sound waves into mechanical energy in the form of very rapid vibrations at the instrument's tip. The tip sprays water to stop the buildup of heat and to flush bacteria from gum pockets during the cleaning.

Scalings

• Scaling and root planing, also known as a deep cleaning, is another dental cleaning technique. Unlike regular dental cleanings, deep cleanings allow dental hygienists to scrape off tartar under the gumline. The hygienist uses sickle and chisel scalers as well as hoe scalers, which remove heavy calculus on the cheek-side and tongue-side surfaces of back teeth. However, the hygienist additionally goes below the gumline, using curettes to get rid of tartar and to smooth rough spots on tooth root surfaces. The hygienist also removes the diseased soft tissue lining of the pockets of gum around the teeth during a deep cleaning. The dentist should give you local anesthetic before the procedure begins. This type of cleaning typically requires two to four office visits.

Laser Cleanings

• Yet another dental cleaning technique is laser cleanings. Dentists use lasers when tartar is discovered too deep under the gumline during a regular dental cleaning. After anesthetizing the gum pocket, the dentist reaches deep into the pocket with the laser to remove the tartar. The laser essentially breaks the tartar up and allows it to be flushed out, thus allowing the gum tissue to heal.