Dental Cleanings
Dentist Gresham, OR
 During your first dental cleaning at the dentist, you will get your teeth thoroughly cleaned to remove bacteria and plaque buildup on your teeth and gums that can lead to cavities and other problems. The dentist will use special cleaning agents to ensure that your teeth are clean and free from cavity-causing bacteria. Visit our Gresham Dental Excellence clinic today to get the best cleaning procedure for your teeth. Dr. Cooke will also ensure they have addressed any dental problems they may have spotted while cleaning.
Preparing Yourself for a Dental Cleaning
Cleaning your teeth at home may not be as effective as in-office dental cleanings. This is why you need to visit our dentist if you have a lot of tartar or plaque buildup. Our hygienist will use special tools to remove the plaque around your teeth and gums. This will prevent gum bleeding and tooth trauma. Also, when you are coming to see us, avoid flossing or brushing too vigorously before your appointment. The hygienist will clean between your teeth with a tool called an ultrasonic scaler. It can remove hard deposits on tooth surfaces without damaging them. The most common cleaning procedure involves scaling and polishing, and in many cases, you will not need anesthesia.
How to Take Care of Your Teeth After the Appointment
The best thing you can do to protect your oral health is also one of the simplest: brush and floss regularly and ensure you have flossed in between every tooth. Also, brush daily using the recommended brush and toothpaste to keep your teeth and gums strong and healthy. Our dental hygienist will help you find the right products if you do not know what to use. Also, avoid consuming a lot of sugar, and schedule an appointment with the dentist at least every six months or more often, depending on your current dental condition.
For more information on dental cleanings visit us at Gresham Dental Excellence or call us at (971) 431-7292.
What Is a Dental Cleaning?
A dental cleaning procedure lasts about 30 to 60 minutes. The appointment may be longer if our dentist has to perform X-rays. If there is an existing issue such as gum disease or periodontitis, we may halt the cleaning procedure to discuss the treatment options for the oral issues we discovered. A cleaning procedure involves several steps. It's main purpose is to clean your teeth of plaque and tartar and to identify any potential underlying issues.
Why Are Dental Cleanings Important?
Dentists recommend routine dental cleanings to every patient in order to promote oral health. The aim of dental cleaning is to improve and keep good oral hygiene. In addition to preventing certain oral health issues, dental cleanings also help maintain good overall physical health. Our dentist at Gresham Dental Excellence performs dental cleanings routinely in order to ensure that your smile remains healthy. During the cleanings, our dentist may also screen you for cancer and other health issues that may be present or are about to start. This way, you can get the treatment done for those other oral issues.
What Is Involved in a Dental Cleaning?
Initial Exam
Our dental hygienist or dentist examines the inside of your mouth using a small mirror. Should there be any issues, the hygienist will pass the information on to our dentist.
Removal of Plaque and Tartar
While you brush and floss at home, it is not sufficient to eradicate tartar. When plaque remains in the mouth for some time, it hardens to form tartar. Only professional cleaning is able to get rid of tartar. Our hygienist or dentist uses a tool known as a scaler to scrape off plaque and tartar from the teeth. Professional cleaning is much more detailed compared to the cleaning you do at home.
Teeth Polishing
The other step involves polishing the teeth. We use a special high-powered brush and gritty tooth polish to polish your teeth. You may want to get a specific flavor of the tooth polish so that you are comfortable with the taste during the cleaning. Dental cleaning should never be painful or hurt. Therefore, you do not have to be afraid of the whirring sound of the power toothbrush.
Flossing
Professional flossing does the same job done with regular flossing. It takes away any plaque that is likely to be present between the teeth. While at-home flossing will get most of the plaque out, there may be some that lurk between teeth. During professional cleanings, our hygienist will remove plaque that you may have missed. Additionally, flossing helps our dentist to see the areas where gum bleeding may be occurring.
Rinsing and Final Checkups
Once we do the flossing, our hygienist or dentist will ask you to squirt some water in the mouth so that you rinse your oral cavity. Using suction motion, we remove the water from the mouth. Mouth rinsing helps get rid of any tooth polish that may have remained. After rinsing, our dentist will perform the final checkups. During the checkups, the dentist is able to detect any oral issues that may present themselves, however, if none, you are all set. At this point, if you have any questions, our dental health specialist is happy to answer. |
