Professional teeth cleanings by a general dentist or dental hygienist remove plaque buildup on and between your teeth.
Plaque naturally collects in your mouth, even with regular brushing and flossing. Regular teeth cleanings reach areas in the mouth that are hard to reach with a regular toothbrush.
Routine dental exams may include X-rays (once a year). Knowing your health history and vulnerability to oral disease, the dentist is in the best position to determine if X-rays are necessary.
Professional teeth cleanings include scaling and polishing. Teeth cleaning treatment uses dental instruments to loosen and remove soft plaque and hard tartar buildup on your teeth.
With regular checkups and teeth cleanings, your dentist can catch any issues early on. This prevents them from developing further and becoming more serious or expensive to fix.
Tooth decay and gum disease result from plaque. This is a sticky combination of bacteria and food. Plaque begins to collect on teeth within a few minutes after eating.
If plaque isn’t removed, it turns into a hard deposit called tartar. Tartar can become trapped at the bottom of your teeth and along the gum line.
Together, plaque and tartar irritate and inflame the gums. Bacteria causes the gums to become:
By regularly cleaning your teeth, you can help avoid dental issues such as tooth decay and gum disease (gingivitis or periodontitis).
We need teeth cleanings for two reasons:
The mouth is an area that’s completely different from the entire body, and it takes quite a beating from the food we eat and the talking we do all day long. And this unique environment requires special care.
Teeth cleanings remove the buildup of plaque and tartar. This buildup is for the most part natural — kind of like how a boat picks up barnacles just by being in the ocean. But too much buildup leads to gum disease.
The reason tartar needs to be removed is because your body sees it as a foreign invader. As with any other foreign invader, like a flu bug or an infection, your body “sends in the troops” using the immune system to fight off the infection. There is a battle in your mouth at all times, and the war is never over. Teeth cleanings level the playing field by keeping things in check.
"I am very happy with my teeth cleaning and polishing. It looks so white and shiny. The doctor was amazing too and she explained what was the issue and how to take proper care."
