Routine Cleaning

Dentists recommend a routine dental cleaning every six months in order to keep your gums and teeth healthy and free of disease. The main purpose of a routine cleaning is to completely remove all plaque and tartar on the coronal portion of the tooth. The coronal portion is the part of the tooth that is visible above the gums. Regular cleanings do not involve cleaning below the gum line.

If you haven’t been diagnosed with bone loss, periodontal/gum disease or any kind of gum infection, then we recommend a regular cleaning. Patients who have not been diagnosed with these problems do not experience bleeding, movement of teeth or receding gum lines.

Regular dental cleanings will help you maintain your oral health and prevent future problems. To schedule your routine cleaning, contact Eten Dental in Bayside, New York, today! At Eten Dental we offer same-day appointments for a variety of dental procedures, including routine cleanings.

What Instruments Are Used For Routine Cleanings?

Dental instruments are cleaned, disinfected and sterilized. This ensures that all instruments are safe to use on patients. Hygienists and dentists also use a dental mirror in order to inspect areas of the mouth that are hard to see. Dental mirrors enhance the view inside your mouth, which helps the dentist see the first signs of tooth decay or gum disease.

Normally a hygienist begins the cleaning with an ultrasonic instrument. An ultrasonic device is a piece of dental equipment that emits mild vibrations to loosen larger pieces of tartar from your teeth. This instrument also sprays mists of water to wash away other debris and keep the mouth cold. The hygienist will always adjust the settings for the best patient comfort.

A routine cleaning is usually performed by a dental hygienist with scalars and cavitron machines. Scalars are special tools that are used for plaque and tartar removal. The scalar is used to scrape the bacteria from the teeth. A cavitron machine is an ultrasonic scaler. A cavitorn machine vibrates at a high frequency, allowing the hygienist to remove smaller matter from your teeth.

What Are the Benefits of Routine Cleanings?

People should get routine cleanings for two main reasons:

First, routine cleanings prevent disease in other areas of your body, such as heart disease, diabetes and dementia.

Second, routine cleanings prevent tooth loss.

Most patients who lose their teeth do so because of gum disease. Preventing gum disease therefore stops people from losing their teeth.

Routine cleanings help people avoid gum disease because the cleaning process takes away the hard calculus that builds up along a person’s gum line. Calculus also accumulates below the gum line, but it requires a different kind of cleaning and use of different tools. Although some patients believe they can remove calculus themselves through brushing and flossing, this is false. A toothbrush cannot remove hard calculus; it must be done at a dentist’s office with specialized tools.

However, taking good care of your teeth and gums is also important at home. Over 80 percent of good hygiene care takes place at home through daily flossing and brushing. However, about 20 percent of the calculus that builds up over time must be taken care of by a dentist.

Research has demonstrated that patients who go for routine cleanings have better oral health, eventually keeping their natural teeth longer. Routine cleanings also help the patient avoid gum disease. The dentist will examine the patient and can often detect cavities or small issues earlier.

What Happens at the Routine Cleaning Visit?

When you schedule a cleaning at Eten Dental, you should plan for about a 45-minute visit. Children should also get regular cleanings. These visits take about 30 minutes, since children have fewer and smaller teeth. When your children get routine cleanings at Eten Dental, we help plant the seeds of proper brushing and flossing. These lessons can last a lifetime.

The routine cleaning involves the following steps:

Cleaning

A thorough cleaning at Eten Dental includes the use of scalars. Once the hard calculus has been removed, then the hygienist will polish the teeth. The polishing instrument has a rotating rubber cup that the hygienist fills with a polishing agent. This polishing agent is stronger than toothpaste. It feels more like fine grains of sand. The polishing process removes stains and plaque and makes your teeth look bright and shiny.

Flossing Your Teeth

Flossing is a key part of taking care of your teeth and gums. In an August of 2016 statement, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services also said flossing is “an important oral hygiene practice.” Flossing uses an interdental cleaning to clean the spaces between your teeth. If you don’t floss, you miss cleaning around 40 percent of your teeth.

During a routine cleaning, the hygienist will also floss your teeth. If you have crowns and bridges, the hygienist will show you the proper way to use a floss threader to clean around and under all dental work. For difficult to reach spots, we will suggest using soft bristle brushes or other special tools to make flossing easier.

Fluoride Rinse

In some situations, the dentist may use fluoride as the last part of the cleaning. Fluoride is put in foam trays, which you clamp on your teeth for 30 seconds to a minute. The patient then spits the rest of the solution into a saliva ejector. Fluoride strengthens teeth and gives them extra protection against dental plaque and tartar.

Examination By Dr. Hwang

Once the hygienist has completed the cleaning and flossing, the dentist will thoroughly examine your teeth and gums. The dentist will consult with you about any potential issues and answer your questions. Most patients find a routine dental cleaning to be painless.

Call Eten Dental for a Routine Cleaning Today

Teeth cleanings are an essential part of keeping your mouth, and your overall health, disease-free. If you need a routine dental cleaning, make an appointment with Eten Dental in our Bayside office. Our experienced team will make sure you have excellent oral health and a bright smile.

 

218-14 Northern Blvd, #104 Bayside NY 11361
Mon.: 10:00 am - 7:00 pm Tue.: 10:00 am - 7:00 pm Wed.: 10:00 am - 6:00 pm Thu.: 9:00 am - 6:00 pm Fri.: 9:00 am - 6:00 pm Sat.: 8:00 am - 3:00 pm