General teeth cleaning, also known as prophylaxis, is a standard dental procedure in maintaining oral hygiene. It’s why dentists schedule these cleanings with patients every six months to ensure their teeth are in tip-top shape.

If you’ve never gone for general teeth cleaning, it might be a scary proposition since you don’t know what its inclusions are. But don’t worry, fam. We’ve got you covered. This article talks about the seven steps to set your mind at ease!

Step 1: Examination of Your Oral Cavity

Before getting into your pearly whites, your dentist needs to survey the area for a general overview. They will use a mouth mirror, an apparatus with a circular mirror attached to the end of a small metal rod, to look at your teeth and gums (front and back) to check for any decay, inflammation, cavities, or debris within them.

If there’s nothing out of the ordinary, the general teeth cleaning will proceed. Conversely, it may be rescheduled to another time if a more pressing concern such as an abscess, cavity removal, or similar procedure needs prioritization.

Step 2: Removal of Debris

The next step in prophylaxis is to take out visible cavities, tartar, and other debris found in the gums and teeth. Dentists use a scaler plus the mirror mentioned above to scope those areas and scrape the debris from their surfaces. This can take around 5 to 10 minutes, depending on the amount they find.

Sometimes, when debris on and in between your teeth and gums harden, these become plaque or calculus and necessitate the use of an electric calculus remover to get the job done. It’s much like a scaler but uses vibrations to remove the built-up plaque.

To prevent less time in this step, brush and floss regularly once a day. These routines lessen the occurrences of debris clinging onto your teeth and squeezing into your gums.

Step 3: Tooth Cleaning and Polishing

Now that your teeth and gums are free of plaque, cavities, and other debris, the actual general teeth cleaning can commence. Your dentist will brush and polish them with an electric brush, much like a floor polisher does to a floor surface. 

The bristles will make a dull whirring noise when in contact with your teeth — no need to worry, though, as that means it’s working and taking out tartar the previous steps may have missed.

The toothpaste used may feel a bit grainy and granular, but that’s because it’s designed to scrub and polish evenly.

Step 4: Dental Flossing

Fluoride is an active mineral in toothpaste that makes your teeth resistant to bacteria. Dental flossing gets that mineral in between your teeth to cover all the bases. So yeah, flossing isn’t just for getting gunk from your gums. It also spreads the fluoride around for even more cavity protection!

Step 5: Rinse

We’re almost to the end. Once you’ve been scraped, scrubbed, and flossed, it’s time to rinse your mouth with a solution of water and liquid fluoride. Swish the solution around in your mouth and spit so you can get to…

Step 6: Oral Fluoride Treatment

The mineral is directly applied to your teeth and left for a minute to protect your teeth from cavities further.

Step 7: Final Examination

Your dentist will take one last look at your oral cavity to bring general teeth cleaning full circle. If everything is in the pink of health, you’re good to go!

One Last Thing

Step six in this process is totally optional, so talk to your dentist about whether or not you need it. In any case, it doesn’t hurt to be more protective of your teeth, especially since you know the effort prophylaxis takes. Remember to brush and floss once a day regularly, so this procedure goes off without any hitches!

For general teeth cleaning in Denver, visit G-Dental32! We specialize in general, cosmetic, and sedation dentistry for individuals and their families. Book your appointment with us now!