Dental Cleanings
West Linn, OR
Cleaning teeth is not just about keeping them looking white at Roane Family Dental. It is mostly about preserving good oral health and ensuring you enjoy good functionality alongside appearance. We generally encourage our patients to have dental cleanings carried out a minimum of twice a year. Also referred to as prophylaxis or routine cleaning, this procedure is typically carried out by our dental hygienist to help maintain healthy teeth and gums. It involves the removal of plaque, calculus, and stains. To understand why we consider this an important part of oral health care, let us look at the importance of this procedure.
Importance of Dental Cleanings
As mentioned, routine cleaning can be a big help in keeping your teeth looking white. Dental plaque and calculus tend to discolor teeth. This build-up will often give teeth a yellow coloring. Staining foods like coffee, wine, and spicy food can also discolor teeth. Professional cleaning can help get rid of these surface stains and allow you to walk out with a more presentable smile.
If plaque and calculus are allowed to build up on teeth, they can lead to gum disease. The damage will sink deeper towards the root and cause gums to weaken and recede. Preventing the build-up and pockets of bacteria will help avoid the risk of tooth loss. Gum disease has also been proven to increase the risk of cardiovascular problems.
The routine checks done during cleanings can also help in the early detection of certain health problems like diabetes and oral cancer. These checks can also pinpoint dental problems early on so that less restorative or corrective work needs to be done. Early detection means less stress in recovery and less medical costs.
The Cleaning Procedure
Just as with most other visits to our dentist, your visit will begin with a review of your file and your health status. If there are any new developments, be sure to inform our dentist. A physical exam of the mouth, face, and neck areas is then carried out. If there is no cause for concern, our dental hygienist will then take over to perform the cleaning. Using a small mirror to better see hidden surfaces and a scaler to remove the plaque and tartar, we will carefully go over each tooth.
Keep in mind that the more build-up there is on your teeth, the longer this procedure may last. You will feel and hear the scraping action, but do not worry, this procedure is normally painless. Once our hygienist is done cleaning, your teeth will then be cleaned using an electric toothbrush and gritty toothpaste. This will gently polish your teeth and should only be done twice a year.
We will carry out professional flossing to reinforce this deep clean, and end with a fluoride rinse to remove all debris. We will perform a final fluoride treatment that involves loading up a dental tray with gel and placing it over your teeth for about a minute. Depending on what we find during the exam or symptoms you describe, we may decide to have you undergo an x-ray. This is just another diagnostic measure to ensure all is well within the inner structures of your teeth.
To book an appointment at our clinic for this and any other dental service, call us, Roane Family Dental at (503) 657-1215 today.
