For true preventive care, West Ashley Family Dentistry recommends two professional cleanings a year. At these visits, we remove harmful plaque from every surface of your teeth, which is key to preventing decay and gum disease.
We don’t just clean your teeth. We also perform a thorough exam, checking for cavities, gum disease, and other concerns like oral cancer.
Getting your teeth professionally cleaned every six months is very important for your oral health. But how you care for your teeth at home is also very important. In between visits, we want our patients to brush their teeth at least twice a day.
Also, you should floss daily and use mouthwash to help maintain your oral health. These practices reduce harmful bacteria in the mouth and on tooth surfaces.
Sometimes food can get stuck between your teeth, and regular brushing does not dislodge it. This is why flossing is so important. Failure to clean the tight spaces in between your teeth can easily lead to decay.
Dental Cleaning What to Expect
Professional dental cleanings are typically painless. For proper oral health maintenance, we recommend two professional cleanings a year for every member of your family.
Your professional cleaning thoroughly removes plaque from every tooth to prevent decay and gum disease. We also perform a complete oral exam to check for cavities, gum issues, and other concerns like oral cancer.
Professional cleanings every six months are essential, and so is your daily care at home. Together, they keep your smile healthy. In between visits, we want our patients to brush their teeth at least twice a day.
Flossing daily is essential because it removes trapped food and plaque that your toothbrush can’t reach. Using mouthwash also helps reduce harmful bacteria.
Failure to clean the tight spaces in between your teeth can easily lead to decay. Our dental hygienist will clean all tooth surfaces. First, we gently remove any plaque or tartar from your teeth and gums. Then, we polish your teeth with a fluoride toothpaste.
We may use the Cavitron ultrasonic cleaner to painlessly remove tartar with dramatic results. Our patients love how quick and less traumatic this ultrasonic cleaner is. It allows them to spend less time in the chair.
The final step is thorough flossing between all of your teeth to remove any food particles. We offer personalized hygiene advice and demonstrations at every cleaning. We’ll show you the most effective ways to brush and floss at home.
Good oral health protects more than your smile. It can also lower your risk for heart disease and other health concerns.
Dental Anxiety? We Have Solutions
Getting through a dental cleaning when you suffer from dental anxiety can be stressful. It could be the sights, the smells, the sounds of the drills, or a bad past experience that causes the fear. No matter what the cause, our Charleston dentist office staff is prepared to help you get through your teeth cleaning.
It is important to communicate with us exactly what your triggers are so we can address them. We want to do everything we can to help because we understand the importance of oral health care. Avoiding a teeth cleaning will wreak havoc on your oral health and lead to severe dental issues.
We take a compassionate approach to your needs as a patient. And we work with you individually to identify the best way to calm your fears and enable you to feel relaxed. We offer sedation dentistry when necessary to help you restore or maintain your oral health.
Dentists may use some anesthesia to ensure that patients feel comfortable during a deep tooth cleaning. This is especially common if the patients suffer from dental anxiety.
Numbing one’s mouth will lessen feelings of pain. Depending on the intensity of the cleaning, patients may not need any anesthesia. However, for deep cleanings, we may recommend it.
You may experience sensitivity to hot and cold food and drinks. Patients also may report their gums feeling sore and swollen. Some patients’ gums may bleed while brushing and flossing a few days after their cleaning, but this goes away shortly.
We recommend that patients avoid eating or drinking until the effects of numbness have gone away. We also recommend doing a saltwater rinse a couple of hours after your cleaning. This reduces any swelling or gum irritation.
Yes, professional dental cleanings can remove surface stains caused by bacterial buildup, foods, and drinks. Cleanings can remove fresh stains that have not built up over time.
We will polish your teeth during a dental cleaning by using an abrasive polishing paste. This paste is in a small cup at the end of a gentle drill. Once applied to the teeth, the paste helps scrub them clean.
Dental cleanings are important and necessary for patients because they prevent bacterial buildup from affecting the teeth and gums. Cleanings can also remove surface stains. Only dental professionals can remove tartar, or hard calculus that builds up between teeth.
Tartar can contribute to gum disease and other damaging dental problems. Regular professional cleanings prevent infections that cause gum recession and tooth loss by removing harmful bacteria.
