The Academy of General Dentistry recommends getting your teeth cleaned professionally twice a year in addition to your daily brushing and flossing.  During your recommended dental visits, Dr. Szeszycki and her team will check your teeth and gums for any problems that might need to be treated.  Your check-up will include teeth cleaning by one of her Dental Hygienists. 

What is involved in teeth cleaning and is it really that necessary to get it done?

Saliva constantly circulates around your mouth depositing calcium and other substances that help strengthen and protect your teeth. Unfortunately, it can also create calcium deposits on your teeth which may be tooth colored or brown or black.  This build-up of calcium over time is called calculus or tartar, and provides the perfect environment for bacteria to thrive right next to your gums.

Your mouth may be harboring harmful bacteria because when tartar is tooth colored, it is not visible to you.  With specialized training and instruments, Dr. Szeszycki and her team will clean your teeth to remove this plaque and calculus providing a smooth surface that minimizes the deposit of bacteria. and food.  Our professional teeth cleaning, also called prophylaxis, typically includes:

• Removing calculus and plaque using specialized instruments
• Flossing 
• Polishing 
• Application of fluoride

Activities included in our process include:

• Our Cavitron® JET Plus™ Ultrasonic Scaler Prophylaxis System knocks larger pieces of calculus loose using tickling vibrations and a cooling mist of water as it is moved around your teeth by the Hygienist. 
• The hygienist will use “scalers” and “curettes” to gently scrape small calculus deposits off your teeth. These insturments are curved, pointed and sharp but when used correctly, should not hurt.  
• Next, a slow speed handpiece with a soft rubber cup on the end that spins is used to polish your teeth. The hygienist will “load” the cup with prophylaxis paste and then run the cup over the fronts and backs of all your teeth make them shiny and smooth.
• Then there is the application of fluoride. The fluoride helps strengthen your teeth after the acids from bacteria in calculus and plaque have weakened the surfaces.  If you receive a fluoride rinse, you will be advised not to eat or drink for 30 minutes afterwards  Otherwise, if a fluoride varnish is applied, we generally advise you to avoid hot or crunchy foods/liquids for 4-6 hours.

Depending on your frequency of dental cleanings, your personal hygiene routine, and how much plaque or calculus build-up you have, a dental cleaning should take 45 to 60 minutes. At Park Blvd Dentistry, we believe that when done right, having your teeth cleaned professionally should not hurt.  Our focus is to provide you with a pain-free experience!  You may feel tickling vibrations, cool mist and light pressure from gentle scraping, but you should not feel discomfort or pain.  If you do have some of these negative experiences, please tell your Hygienist and she will work with you to minimize this experience.

Prevention helps avoid serious and costly dental problems and is the key to having a healthy, confident, beautiful smile.  So give us a call and let us make an appointment for you today!