DENTAL EXAMINATION & CLEANING

Regular dental visits are an important part of your oral hygiene regimen! Dental cleanings are designed not just to polish your teeth, but also to remove debris that you may have missed while brushing and flossing. During your dental exam, your dentist will also check for signs of dental problems. Your oral health is connected to your overall health, making it even more important for you to stay on top of your dental care!

Most of us know that in order to maintain total health, good oral health is essential. There is an increasing amount of literature and scientific research showing the link between oral and overall health. With the evidence mounting, dental cleanings are probably on your mind. Here are some facts about dental cleanings.

Two Times Per Year

You are probably aware that most dentists recommend that you get a professional dental cleaning, or prophylaxis, every six months. The term prophylaxis simply means taking steps to prevent disease or health problems.

The term dental prophylaxis means the "removal of dental plaque, dental calculus, and stains from the exposed and unexposed surfaces of the teeth by scaling and polishing as a preventive measure for the control of local irritants."

This is what your dentist will do during your professional dental cleaning. You can also get a detailed check-up done during this appointment to ensure that you don't have any cavities or tooth decay.

Ultrasonic Dental Cleaning

You've probably experienced a dental exam where the dentist spends time scraping away at your teeth. It's called dental scaling and root planing, and it's necessary for most patients to keep their teeth and gums healthy.

In the past, scaling was done by hand -- and it's still a common procedure in dentistry today. Performed with a metal instrument known as a scaler, your dentist scrapes your teeth and under your gums to remove what your toothbrush might have missed.

But now there's an easier way for your dentist to give you a gleaming smile! Ultrasonic dental cleaning is available to remove more dental tartar in less time, with no metal scraping!

Shake It Up!

Twice a Year, Every Year

• Faster than traditional cleanings
• May be used for gum disease
• Can even remove tooth stains!

During ultrasonic dental cleaning, we use an instrument called an ultrasonic scaler. The scaler distributes ultrasonic vibrations to literally blast dental tartar, or dental calculus, off of your teeth! As the ultrasonic scaler vibrates, it produces sound waves to break apart stubborn calculus. Water flows out of the tip's end to wash away debris and keep the scaler from overheating. Although you won't feel the vibrations or hear the sound waves, you'll most likely notice that your teeth feel cleaner. And we will have significantly reduced the amount of dental plaque bacteria that causes most dental diseases.

You may be interested in ultrasonic cleaning if:

You have a large buildup of dental tartar: Over time, the bacteria and dental plaque in your mouth form hard deposits of calculus, leading to tooth decay if left untreated. Unfortunately, your toothbrush isn't going to help -- only a dentist or dental hygienist can remove calculus from your teeth.

You have periodontal disease: Ultrasonic dental cleaning is used to remove dental calculus from under the gum line as well. As plaque creeps beneath the gums, it forms pockets of calculus that attack the surrounding gum and bone tissue. The result is gum disease, which can eventually lead to tooth loss. Scaling is usually the first type of gum disease treatment used to battle periodontal disease, and it can easily be performed with an ultrasonic dental cleaning system.

The Wave of the Future

Ultrasonic dental cleaning offers both the dentist and patient several benefits:

- Using state-of-the-art ultrasonic dental cleaning equipment cuts down on the time it takes for scaling and root planing by removing more dental calculus at once.

- The procedure is often effective in limiting the progression of the early stages of gum disease.

- Scaling isn't painful and can usually be done without local anesthesia or sedation dentistry. If you do experience sensitivity, we can provide options to make you more comfortable.

- Ultrasonic dental cleaning is so powerful it can reduce the appearance of tooth stains!

Ultrasonic cleaning should be combined with hand scaling for optimal effects. The ultrasonic scaler is primarily designed to remove only large deposits of dental calculus, leaving your dentist to manually remove any tartar that's left behind.

It's human to take your health for granted. When you're young and carefree, it's easy to believe that you'll feel vibrant and strong forever. Unfortunately, things break down when you neglect them -- your teeth and gums included.

When you don't brush or floss regularly, dental plaque, a sticky film filled with bacteria, forms on your teeth. Dental plaque can infect your gums and the sulcus, the v-shaped crevice just below the gum line.

At this stage, the infection is called gingivitis if it progresses, it's called periodontitis. Both are forms of periodontal disease, also known as gum disease.