Dental Cleaning

Dental Cleaning and Protection – Professional Dental Prophy or Full Mouth Debridement

Even if you brush and floss your teeth faithfully, it is important that you have a professional dental cleaning on a regular basis. After a thorough cleaning, your teeth will feel smooth and clean, and they will probably look a lot brighter! The main goal of dental cleaning is to protect and guard your health by taking steps to prevent tooth decay and gum disease.

Why is it necessary? Because over time, teeth tend to build up a layer of plaque (a sticky, bacteria-rich film) and hard deposits (called tartar, or calculus) that are very difficult to remove without special tools. If these deposits remain on the tooth surfaces, or below the gum line, they provide ideal conditions for bacteria to grow. The acids produced by some bacteria cause tooth decay and gum disease. If left uncontrolled, this can lead to inflammation and infection of the gums, and possibly influence systemic (whole body) diseases.

Two Types of Cleaning: Which One Do You Need?

What is the difference between a cleaning and full mouth debridement? Think of a prophy as a one-step cleaning and a debridement as a two-step cleaning. If your exam reveals you do not have periodontal disease, and you do not have any excess build up on your teeth, you are now eligible for a professional dentak cleaning.

If excess buildup exists on your teeth, this means the tissues are inflamed, and you will need a full mouth debridement. In order to perform a comprehensive exam, we must evaluate your teeth and tissues. In this case, of excess buildup, we must remove all buildup, and then re-examine in 2-3 weeks when the inflammation settles down.

The Professional Dental Cleaning Procedure

During a cleaning and full mouth debride we will:

• Remove calculus (tartar): Calculus comes from plaque build up that has hardened around the tooth. It forms both above and below the gum line, making the use of special dental instruments necessary to remove it from around the teeth.
• Remove plaque: A sticky, almost invisible film, plaque is actually made up of living bacteria, food debris and saliva. When it forms on the teeth, the bacteria produces poisons that infect and inflame the gums. This inflammation is one of the first signs of periodontal disease.
• Polish the teeth: Through teeth polishing, your hygienist can remove stains and plaque that did not come off during the rest of the cleaning.

Next Step? Dental X-Rays

Used as a diagnostic tool, dental x-rays provide Drs. John and Sam Cancelliere with a look at what’s going on under the gum line. The information that these x-rays provide is used to detect any abnormalities that aren’t visible during the actual exam or cleaning. Without these x- rays, Dr. Cancelliere will not have a complete picture of your mouth, and many problems could go undetected for a long period of time.