The most common dental visit is a cleaning also known as a hygiene appointment. Getting a dental cleaning regularly is essential to keeping your teeth and gums healthy. The most common interval for cleaning is 6 months however, periodontal disease clients may have 3 months to revisit. These cleanings usually take 30 minutes to an hour to thoroughly clean your teeth.
The hygienist removes plaque and calculus constantly forming on your teeth so it is important that you remove it by brushing and flossing properly. If the plaque is left untouched it may harden into calculus. This is a hard deposit that can only be removed by the hygienist and dentist.
The first step in your hygiene appointment may be some x-rays. These are taken to determine whether you have a hard deposit known as calculus or tartar buildup. It shows up as a dark blob near your teeth and helps the hygienist localize it. The hygienist then uses an ultrasonic scaler, it creates ultrasonic vibrations to remove the calculus from your teeth. The hygienist also uses many other hand held instruments to clean under and over your gums.
Since the hygienist has to go under your gums to clean, you may feel some discomfort or soreness under your gums. The best prevention to this is to regularly brush and floss your teeth.
Here at the Smile Team, we have the best team of hygienists here to assist you in keeping your teeth clean and healthy forever. We are open Mondays to Saturdays and speak GUJARATI, HINDI, URDU, TAGALOG and ARABIC. As Scarborough’s leading dentist in family dental care, we care about what you need. You can reach our dental office in Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario, by calling 416-546-5599.