Dental Cleanings
Parents teach their children to get a routine cleaning and exam so they can maintain good oral health. However, parents don’t always teach their children what a good, thorough cleaning entails. This is something that’s equally as important to understand though, which is why we at Cornelius Dental Clinic go out of our way to educate our patients about this.
When To Get A Cleaning
You can’t afford to overlook the important role good oral hygiene has in your life. This is why dentists recommend that parents bring their children in for their first cleaning within six months of their first tooth’s eruption. From this point in time, you should continue seeing your dentist and having your teeth cleaned once every 6 months (biannually). If you’re having oral health issues, you’ll need to see us more frequently.
What A Cleaning Entails
When you get a dental cleaning, you’ll have the plaque removed from your teeth. This is the sticky, soft, bacterial material that’s found on your teeth. We’ll also remove any tartar that’s found there, which is the hard, calcification that happens on your teeth. These are what make your teeth look yellow.
Removing plaque and tartar is important as this is what helps prevent the development of cavities and gingivitis. We’ll use a small mirror and a tool known as a scaler for this. Once we’re done, we’ll polish your teeth. For this, we use a small, rubber motorized cup. It utilizes an abrasive polishing compound.
After we complete this process, all the plaque and tartar will be removed from your teeth so they’ll immediately look much whiter. While this isn’t the goal, it’s good news. The goal though is to make sure your smile is healthy. This is why we thoroughly check your whole mouth for cavities while conducting your cleaning.
Fortunately, this isn’t painful. If you do experience any pain, we can provide you with a topical anesthetic. Ultimately, the goal here is to help your teeth be healthier, not cause any harm. Any adverse effects may be a sign that you have gum disease, which will also cause your teeth to be loose after a cleaning.
Getting Ready For Your Next Dental Cleaning
Brushing your teeth frequently with a desensitizing toothpaste, followed by flossing and using mouthwash will make them less likely to have plaque and tartar build up on them. While you should visit us every 6 months, you should also do these things between your visits to keep your smile healthy, which will help make your visit easier. If you’re still afraid of visiting our office for cleaning because you think that it might be painful, make sure you take an Advil both before and after your appointment.
Hopefully this information will help you feel more empowered – like you have a better understanding of what we’ll do during a cleaning. However, if you still have some questions, you should call Cornelius Dental Clinic at (971) 317-9323. We’ll schedule a time for you to come to our office so we can answer all your remaining questions.