There are three main types of dental cleaning that the average person experiences throughout their life. These three types include: Personal cleaning, professional cleaning and deep cleaning. Personal cleaning is your day to day dental routine. Professional cleaning is performed by a dental professional. Deep cleaning is a procedure that is only preformed for those with gum disease, poor oral hygiene or long lapses of time in-between dental cleaning. Deep cleanings are often performed more than once or on an as-needed basis.
Personal Cleaning
Everyone has their own personal hygiene routine in which dental care is performed. For most of us, dental hygiene is just a natural part of our day and often requires little thought. There are many different tools available on the market today that can help assist you in proper oral maintenance. However, most people prefer to use a toothbrush, toothpaste and floss. While these other options can provide additional assistance, using a combination of these three tools properly, will provide adequate cleaning to maintain a healthy mouth.
Toothbrushes and toothpaste are used to clean the surfaces of teeth. In order to avoid enamel damage, dentists typically recommend brushing in circular strokes for about 2 minutes. Personal oral hygiene should be performed at least once a day but most dentists recommend cleaning after each meal. Most people choose to brush once a day, either at night or in the morning.
While the tooth brush is the most commonly used tool, floss is second, but equally important. While floss is commonly used, there are still a large percentage of dental patients that ignore it all together. If you are not currently utilizing floss during your daily dental cleaning routine you are missing out and we mean this very literally. Toothbrushes do not provide enough reach to properly clean in-between teeth or near the gum line. While you may not think floss does anything, the reality is much different. Flossing accounts for about 40% of the necessary work required to remove sticky bacteria, food particles and plaque from your teeth.
Professional Cleaning
Professional dental cleanings are typically performed by a dental or oral hygienist not a dentist. However, after your cleaning is completed, your dentist will do a thorough examination of your mouth to check the overall condition as well as for any cavities that may have been over looked.
No matter how diligent you take care of your teeth at home, having a professional cleaning is necessary. While tooth brushes, floss and other tools efficiently remove most of the harmful bacteria that grow in your mouth, it is impossible to remove all of it by yourself. Only a dental professional has the available tools, and reach to remove all harmful bacteria. Professional cleanings are recommended twice a year, every six months unless otherwise advised by your dentist.
Deep Cleaning
Deep cleaning, also referred to as Scaling and root planing, is a type of dental cleaning that is performed in special cases and only when necessary. Deep cleaning is often required for those who have poor oral hygiene, have gone long periods of time without a professional cleaning or are in the early stages of gum disease.
When patients have poor oral hygiene or skip their six month cleanings, plaque and tarter do not get removed, providing the perfect conditions for bacteria to thrive. When Bacteria are not removed it irritates the gums, causing them to become inflamed and bleed. This is the early stage of gum disease or gingivitis.
In order to stop the spread of gingivitis, a deep cleanings are required. Deep cleanings are typically painless however, depending on the stage of gingivitis, these cleanings may cause slight discomfort. If you ever experience discomfort during a deep cleaning, there are a variety of different options available to make the cleaning more enjoyable.