Dental Cleaning

Information may not be reliable

Brushing and flossing help minimize problems, but at home care can’t prevent all buildup of plaque and tartar.

During a cleaning, the hygienist will:

• Use a special tool called a dental scaler to remove plaque and tartar buildup on teeth and below the gum line

• Polish your teeth with a rotating brush and special paste to leave them smooth and less vulnerable to plaque accumulation

• Floss your teeth to make sure that no plaque or paste remains stuck in between them

Sometimes patients (especially children) will also receive a fluoride rinse as part of their cleaning.

Pediatric Dental Cleaning - A child should undergo his or her first formal visit to the dentist by 12 months of age. All of our pediatric dentists have an additional two to three years of specialized dental training, and they are experts at working with children!

To prepare your child for his or her dental visit, we recommend the following:

• Take them along to a sibling or friend’s dentist appointment to help eliminate fear.

• Answer any questions they might have, but avoid going into too much detail. You might tell them the dentist will look at their teeth and take pictures with a special camera, for example.

• Read them a book about going to the dentist.

• Play dentist for fun, counting your child’s teeth and shining a light in their mouth. Then take turns and let them count yours.

• Always remain calm with regards to the dentist or the visit. You don’t want the child to feel that something is wrong.

It is also important to avoid scary words like hurt, shot, pull or drill. Pediatric dentists and hygienists have a special vocabulary they use to explain dental procedures to children in a non-scary way.

For most patients, dental cleanings are completely painless! You may feel a vibration, a tickling sensation, or some pressure on the tooth’s surface, but these sensations are short-lived and generally not painful at all.

Still feeling a little nervous about getting a cleaning and check-up? Ask your dentist about sedation dentistry, numbing gels and other options to reduce stress for patients with anxiety or dental fears. And it really does work.