Dentistry Visits: Cleaning and Polishing

Dentistry is an important part of maintaining your oral health. It includes cleaning and polishing teeth, taking x-rays, examining the gums and jawline, diagnosing problems, recommending treatments, and more. Cleaning and polishing go hand in hand with dentistry because you need to have clean teeth before assessing them or recommending treatments.

What are the benefits?

A dental visit is made up of two parts—a cleaning to remove plaque, tartar, bacteria, and germs from your teeth; and polishing, which smooths out enamel by removing surface stains. The benefits of these visits are numerous. Both are excellent ways to prevent diseases that dental issues can cause.

Not only that, but a good cleaning can boost your self-confidence by making you look and feel better. It is a quick process that will put a smile on your face. If you want to get rid of tartar or stains or start building better oral health habits, make an appointment with your dentist today!

Who are they for?

The dentistry visit is a routine visit that includes cleaning and polishing. The main objective of routine cleaning and polishing is to remove plaque, calculus, stains, tartar, and other debris from teeth to decrease tooth decay. If there are areas where there is deep decay or gum disease, then your dentist may also recommend treatment options. While healthy adults usually only need one dentistry visit per year, children may require more frequent visits—visit your dentist if you’re not sure about how often you should get cleanings.

How often do I need them?

Most adults need to visit a dentist at least once every six months. Many regular dental visits are focused on checking for cavities, gum disease, or other issues that might be harmful to your teeth. During cleanings, your dentist will also polish your teeth with an electric brush to remove surface stains caused by drinking coffee or red wine. Before seeing your dentist, you must brush at home, so they have a clean canvas to work with when they clean and polish your teeth. If you have not visited a dentist in more than two years, it is time for another cleaning—and possibly another polishing.

What is involved?

Getting your teeth cleaned does not sound like something that can be an enjoyable experience. So, before your next visit, let us talk about what this includes. During a routine appointment, you’ll sit in our dentist chair while we check for signs of tooth decay or gum disease with a bitewing X-ray machine. We might also do an oral cancer screening if there are any suspicious lumps or bumps on your face or mouth, which are common indicators of oral cancer.

You’ll also get a complete cleaning of your teeth. This is where we remove plaque, tartar, stains, and bacteria from your teeth. We use different tools for dental cleanings—from air abrasion devices to ultrasonic scalers to hand picks—to meet each patient’s needs. Once that is done, you can get a gentle polish of your teeth using hand instruments or an electric polisher to bring out their natural whiteness if you want us to. Depending on how much work needs to be done on your teeth after cleaning, we may offer you fluoride treatment or apply sealants if needed.