Teeth Cleaning: A Guide to Routine Oral Care

Taking care of your oral health is vital to your well-being and the overall health of your body. In addition to practicing good oral hygiene at home, routine dental care with professional teeth cleanings helps to prevent tooth decay, cavities, periodontal disease (gum disease), and more problems from developing. This means that investing in preventative dental care can save you pain, time, and money by helping you avoid unpleasant oral health problems that can be costly to treat.  

What Is a Dental Cleaning? 

A dental cleaning is a preventative dental service that takes place during a routine dental appointment. During a professional teeth cleaning, a dental hygienist removes plaque and tartar (calculus) from your teeth and just below the gum line. This process helps reduce harmful bacteria and prevents issues like tooth decay, cavities, and gum disease.  

During a professional dental cleaning, a dental hygienist removes the buildup that patients are not able to reach or remove with brushing and flossing alone.  

Teeth Cleaning Services: What to Expect During Your Teeth Cleaning Appointment 

A routine dental cleaning appointment, of course, includes a thorough teeth cleaning, but the service at Beam Dental encompasses a lot more. Read on to learn what to expect during a routine dental appointment.  

Prophylaxis Cleaning 

Prophylaxis cleaning is the dental industry's name for a professional, preventative teeth cleaning. The cleaning process involves two primary steps: 

• Scaling - To scale the teeth, a dental hygienist uses a set of specially shaped, metal tools to scrape away the hard calculus that has accumulated on the surfaces of the teeth. These tools sometimes include a jet of water which facilitates a deeper and more gentle scaling experience.  

• Polishing - Once each tooth has been scaled, the hygienist uses a gritty polishing paste and tool with a spinning applicator head to polish the surfaces of the teeth. This ensures that all calculus has been successfully removed — even from the smallest grooves — in addition to removing surface stains and discoloration.  

After scaling and polishing, the dental hygienist will floss to remove any remaining polishing grit from between the patient's teeth before providing the patient with water for rinsing.  

Special Teeth Cleaning Services 

For patients who haven't been to the dentist in a long time or who have been diagnosed with periodontal disease, a different type of cleaning process might be recommended. Instead of the routine prophylaxis, a dental hygienist might perform a gross debridement or a scaling and root planing. These processes are designed to address large quantities of accumulated plaque and tartar or to clean farther below the gum line. If a patient requires scaling and root planing, the dental hygiene appointment will take place with local anesthesia to prevent potential discomfort.  

Preventative Treatments 

During a routine dental hygiene appointment, patients are also provided with preventative treatments such as fluoride applications and dental sealants.  

Fluoride treatments help to remineralize tooth enamel in the early stages of decay, preventing cavities. Sealants help to protect the deeply grooved chewing surfaces of the molars, making them easier to clean and less susceptible to tooth decay and cavities.  

Dental X-Rays 

Some routine dental appointments will include dental x-rays which allow us to view oral structures below the gum line and inside the teeth. Diagnostic images might be recommended every three years to every few months, depending on the patient's needs, health history, and risk factors for dental disease. For normal, healthy patients, dentists typically recommend x-rays every few years or as often as insurance covers the cost.  

Gum Assessment and Dental Examination 

Most teeth cleaning appointments also include a gum assessment and dental examination with a dentist. The frequency of examinations with a dentist is recommended based on the patient's health history. Typically, healthy patients will have one dental examination with the dentist per year, unless the dental hygienist notices anything unusual during the cleaning.  

Oral Cancer Screening 

Each dental examination also includes an oral cancer screening. During this simple screening, our dentist visually examines a patient's oral soft tissues for abnormalities (like discolorations, texture changes, or sores that don't heal). This step is sometimes assisted with the use of a special light that makes abnormalities easier to see. The dentist also feels the patient's soft tissues around the oral cavity, jawline, and neck for unusual lumps and bumps.  

If we notice anything out of the ordinary, we will refer the patient for further evaluation and a possible biopsy.  

Treatment Recommendations 

If any signs of oral health concerns are detected during a routine cleaning or dental examination, dentist at Beam Dental will explain the findings to the patient and discuss the next steps to take. We provide patients with a variety of personalized treatment recommendations and options.  

How to Prepare for a Teeth Cleaning 

Before your teeth cleaning, be sure you have your ID and insurance card available to bring with you to your appointment. Brush and floss your teeth before your appointment, but try not to do so immediately before your dental cleaning, as this can lead to gum irritation.  

Additionally, it's best to refrain from consuming highly pigmented foods or beverages (coffee, tea, red wine, sports drinks, dark-colored sodas, chocolate, or berries) right before your appointment, as these can stain your tooth enamel and make it more difficult for your hygienist to work on your teeth.  

What to Do After a Dental Cleaning 

After a dental cleaning and professional fluoride application, patients should refrain from eating or drinking anything for at least 30 minutes to allow the fluoride time to work its strengthening magic on the tooth enamel.  

Since the gum tissues can sometimes be slightly sensitive after a cleaning, we also typically recommend refraining from eating hard foods and consuming anything hot (temperature-wise) or spicy because these can further irritate the gum tissues. Each patient is slightly different and reacts differently to dental cleanings, but most comfortably return to a normal diet after about 24 hours.  

Immediately after a teeth cleaning, tooth enamel can be more susceptible to staining, so it is a good idea to avoid highly pigmented foods and beverages for 24 to 48 hours.  

Continue brushing and flossing according to your normal routine.  

How Often Should You Have a Professional Dental Cleaning? 

On average, most people should visit the dentist's office for a dental hygiene appointment every six months. However, the recommended schedule of professional cleanings might be more or less frequent, depending on a patient's individual needs. The American Dental Association recommends following your dentist's advice regarding the recommended frequency of teeth cleanings.  

Comprehensive Preventative Dental Care With Teeth Cleanings in NY and NJ 

At Beam Dental, we're proud to provide our patients with exceptional comprehensive dental care, including preventative, general, and family dentistry that focuses on promoting optimal oral health through the prevention of oral disease. 

Whether you want to schedule your next dental cleanings in NY or NJ, our team at Beam Dental has you covered with several locations across New York and New Jersey where you can expect to receive the same high standard of care from any of our experienced providers.

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