Who doesn’t love going to the dentist and having their teeth cleaned. That feeling is amazing, because there is nothing at home that makes them feel like being in that chair. If you regularly practice good hygiene the dental cleaning shouldn’t be painful at all, but if you don’t then you might have some discomfort.

What is done during the actual cleaning?

During the actual cleaning either a dentist or a dental hygienist will take a look in your mouth and get to work. They will use different tools to remove plaque and tartar, remove stains, and polish teeth. They will also potentially apply fluoride (especially for children) and adjust partials and dentures if necessary. Many will even use either regular floss, or a water pick to clean in between the teeth. The cleaning itself is better than any cleaning one can do at home. Plus, during this time, if there is ever a little place that you can’t reach on a normal basis, they will take care of during the cleaning.

What additional services are provided?

Now they don’t just clean your teeth. The hygienist works in conjunction with the dentist in order to evaluate your oral health. This will include taking your complete medical history and noting if anything has changed. This is important because there are certain medications, pregnancy, and medical conditions that can affect the health of your mouth. They will also check for gum disease and take x-rays to determine if there is anything that needs to be corrected. If something needs to be done they will either recommend the work that needs to be completed or recommend a specialist for things that cannot be done in the office.

In addition to looking at the health of your mouth and your history, they will also discuss additional ways that you can personally keep your oral health up to par. This means if you smoke, they will attempt to help you quit and give you resources on ways to do so and places to get assistance. They will go over how to properly floss (many people really don’t know the right way if they do it at all), and the proper way to brush. They can even make recommendations on different toothbrushes, both manual and electric, as to which one will work better in your routine. Afterwards they will schedule you either for your next appointment, or if you are without issues, let you know that in six months they’ll see you again for your next cleaning.

Oral health is so important. Not only do you want your teeth to look good and have fresh breath (because we all have sat in front of that one person we wanted to hand a mint to), you also want to ensure that like your body, you take care of your mouth as well. Plus, it’s the only way we can eat, so making sure that the pearly whites stay strong is important to our health as a whole.