Preventive cleaning of your teeth and gums should not be overlooked. For great dental health, it is recommended to have preventive cleaning of your teeth and gums at least twice per year at 7 Day Dental of Orange County.
Periodic professional cleaning by a dental hygienist or dentist goes hand in hand with daily brushing and flossing to maintain good oral health.
Our natural oral bacteria start to convert the carbohydrates in food into acid and plaque within minutes of eating or drinking. When plaque stays on the teeth, it becomes tartar, which is harder to remove.
A professional cleaning involves removing the plaque and tartar buildup from the teeth and along the gumline.
After the cleaning, the hygienist will polish the teeth with a concentrated fluoride paste for extra protection. Most dental insurance plans pay for two cleanings per year.
If the dentist sees deep pockets in the gums or any evidence of gum disease, he/she may recommend a deep cleaning procedure to remove the buildup of tartar and bacteria below the gumline.
Both preventive cleaning and deep cleaning use a scaling instrument, but the deep cleaning goes below the gum line and also includes a root planing procedure. This is followed by a special antiseptic rinse and application of a topical antibiotic gel.
To minimise discomfort, a local anaesthetic is often used. Usually, deep cleaning is done in 2 sessions, each cleaning half the mouth. The patient is likely to need deep cleaning more than twice a year.