Teeth Cleaning in Edmonton
Regular Check Ups & Cleanings are important for long term oral health. All services performed by a general dentist.
Routine Family Dental Check Up & Cleaning Services
Whether you are five or ninety-five, preventative maintenance is an important part of your overall health. Preventative maintenance is to teeth as annual physicals are to your overall health. These appointments occur once or twice annually and have a lot of impact on our ability to identify and treat disease in its early stages and address it before the problem becomes chronic and begins to affect other structures within the body.
Despite our understanding of the importance of these appointments, they often get overlooked. Unfortunately, in these cases we run the risk of seeing the dentist only when the symptoms of disease or infection become unbearable. Although not every dental concern is avoidable by annual maintenance and at-home hygiene routines, the majority of common dental issues such as cavities are easily managed with a regular visit to your dentist.
Maintaining Oral Health with Teeth Cleaning
Your annual checkup typically precedes your professional cleaning, and it is a critical part of keeping your mouth healthy. It is important to remember to see your teeth as alive – and not just an inanimate part of your physiology. You see, your teeth are alive just like the rest of your body and receive blood supply and nerve stimulation through their core. This is important because problems that are not caught early can result in your blood supply and nerve being impacted – potentially moving into other parts of your body via blood circulation.
Areas of decay, gum recession and other concerns are noted and the health of the soft tissues (cheeks, lips and tongue) are assessed. Your dentist even has a special light that allows them to view what’s happening beneath the surface of the skin! The effectiveness and alignment of your bite will be reviewed, and your temporomandibular joint, the joint responsible for opening and closing the mouth will be assessed. Your dentist will ask you to update your file with any changes in medication or overall health. It is important to list all medications that you may be taking, and any recent diagnoses should be reported.
While most concerns can be visually identified by your dentist, problems that are in progress beneath the surface of the tooth can be asymptomatic (without symptoms) and can therefore progress without the patient being aware until teeth are drifting or there is a significant change in the mouth such as swelling. To cover all the bases, your dentist begins your checkup by visually assessing the health of your teeth and tissues under a bright light. Each tooth’s condition is reviewed and documented so that changes can be tracked over time.
Finally, a digital X-ray will be taken to ensure that there are no concerns being hidden from view. These images allow your dentist to see any evidence of decay between the teeth, the condition of the root structures of your teeth and the condition of your jawbone.
Once your dentist has completed their review of the condition of your oral health, you will have an opportunity to debrief and ask questions. Any recommended procedures will be outlined and discussed – or you may just get the all clear!
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Dental Cleaning Process
Professional dental cleaning is facilitated by one of our professionally trained dental hygienists. These hygienists are experts at scaling the teeth (removing calcified tartar from the teeth) without damaging your enamel. This is important because tartar is an irritant to your gum tissue and can make your teeth appear discoloured. Daily removal of plaque by brushing twice a day is your best defense against tartar, don’t forget to floss!
Your dental cleaning will begin with scaling of the teeth with a special tool. Following this, your hygienist will polish your teeth using a slightly gritty paste which will smooth the surface of your tooth and remove superficial staining. Smooth teeth are important because it is more difficult for plaque to adhere to a smooth surface than one that is rough with tartar. Your hygienist may floss your teeth and provide feedback as to how to improve your at-home dental routine. (Bleeding during flossing is a telltale sign of teeth that need to be flossed more regularly!) You will be offered a fluoride treatment to complete your cleaning process. Fluoride assists your teeth in resisting decay by fortifying the enamel.
The product is placed into foam trays and is left in the mouth for approximately one minute before it can be removed, and your hygienist will remind you to avoid eating or drinking for thirty minutes following your appointment to allow the full benefits of the fluoride to be realised.
Your dentist will recommend a frequency of appointments to be followed based on your age and oral health circumstances. It is a good idea to book your next appointment prior to leaving your dentist’s office to ensure that it doesn’t get overlooked or delayed.
For more information on this or other services offered by our general dentist, contact our clinic today.
