Routine brushing and flossing are an important part of oral health. In addition to your daily routine, a regular visit to Willow Pass Dental Care in Concord, CA is an important part of caring for your mouth and keeping your teeth at their best. Our professional staff of dentists and hygienists provide you and your family with the care you and your teeth deserve. While the typical dental hygiene routine generally involves a brush and floss, a professional cleaning by a dentist is considerably more involved.
How We Clean Teeth at Willow Pass Dental Care
Willow Pass Dental Care is regarded as one of the leading dentists in Concord, CA. Dental cleaning at Willow Pass Dental Care is performed by specially-trained hygienists who work under the supervision of Dr. Reza Khazaie, who himself is a highly regarded and well-known Prosthodontist as well as owner of Willow Pass Dental Care.
While Dr. Khazaie will not be performing your dental cleaning directly, he along with other dentists on the team will be a part of your examination to ensure that your dental care and health is in good standing. If any abnormalities or cause for concern is discovered during the cleaning process, the hygienist will notify Dr. Khazaie or other dentists on the team for an additional review and official diagnosis.
Step 1: Preliminary Check
A teeth cleaning appointment always begins with a physical exam of your mouth and teeth to identify any potential concerns. Our Hygienists are specially trained to visually pinpoint signs of gingivitis, tooth decay, infections, and other signs that may point to more complicated underlying dental health concerns. Once this initial visual check is completed, the hygienist moves on to the following step.
Step 2: Plaque and Tartar Removal
Dental plaque is the film of bacteria, sometimes called a biofilm, that lives on your teeth. While nearly impossible to completely eliminate, bacteria can be controlled to minimize potential damage, decay, and discoloration. While routine brushing and flossing are often enough to control dental plaque on a daily basis, it is not a comprehensive solution. After all, sometimes as a result of poor brushing and flossing habits, forgetfulness, or a bad technique, you will miss a spot from time to time.
When plaque isn’t efficiently or adequately removed on a regular basis through meticulous care, tartar or dental calculus can form. Tartar, unlike dental plaque, isn’t quite so easily scrubbed away. Tartar is a plaque that has been hardened as a result of chemical processes in the mouth. Ironically, this process kills plaque-forming bacteria, leaving behind a rough and hardened surface that forms an ideal breeding ground for more plaque to build. Also unlike dental plaque, tartar can often only be removed by a dentist or hygienist.
Dentists and hygienists employ what is known as a scalar to deal with hardened plaque, tartar, and calculus. This handheld tool, which looks like a pen with metal hooks on one or both ends, is used to scrape tartar off of a patient’s teeth. Hygienists diligently scrape each tooth of any visible tartar leaving the teeth free of any damaging substances.
Step 3: Gentle Electric Scrubbing
Once the hardened calculus removed, it’s time for a little general scrub and polish. Using a unique, mildly-abrasive toothpaste derived from pumice, our hygienist gently cleans away any stubborn debris left with an electric airotor. The abrasive substance also polishes your teeth leaving no rough surfaces behind on your teeth for destructive bacteria to find a home. This process of gently exfoliating and polishing your teeth is best done once or twice per year at Willow Pass Dental Care.
Step 4: Professional Flossing
While many people claim to floss at home, most people simply aren’t flossing correctly or aren’t flossing nearly enough.
Studies show that only 4 of 10 Americans floss daily.
Twenty percent of Americans never bother flossing at all. Who can blame them? It can be difficult to hit all the nooks and crannies at just the right angles when you are flossing your own teeth. However, in the hands of a trained professional, a simple piece of floss is transformed into a powerful cleaning implement. The hygienist at Willow Pass Dental Care who is in charge of your cleaning will ensure that every one of your teeth receives a thorough, expert flossing.
For some with extreme neglect the process can be slightly irritating to your mouth, but overall it is an excellent indicator of the health of your gums and a good reminder to floss more often in the future to reduce the irritation to your gums in the dentist chair.
Step 5: Final Fluoride
Finally, with your teeth cleaned, pampered, and polished, it’s time for a final rinse to eliminate all the debris followed by a fluoride treatment that can help fight cavities for months. Typically an outer coat of fluoride varnish is applied with either a stick, brush, or the use of a mouth guard-like device that patients can bite into.
Fluoride plays a critical role in the strengthening of the enamel which is the outer protective layer of your teeth.
For most, routine preventative teeth cleaning is an effective way to give their teeth some professional attention, proactively prevent future dental problems, and as a way to catch any existing problems before they get out of hand. Most importantly, regular dental checkups are a critical way to keep your teeth looking their best - white and bright!
How Frequently Should You Have Your Teeth Professionally Cleaned?
There is some debate over the frequency which patients should have their teeth professionally cleaned. Generally speaking, the more cleanings, the better. However, many dental professionals recommend a minimum of one or two professional dental cleanings a year to reap the most preventative benefits.
However, as with many medical conditions, some mouths simply need to be professionally cleaned more frequently than others as a result of a variety of factors such as genetics, diet, and age. Patients who are older, have a sweet tooth, bad oral hygiene practices, a genetic predisposition towards weak saliva production, or a smoking habit, will benefit from more frequent and regular dental cleanings.
Do you need teeth cleaning? Schedule an appointment today with one of our trained hygienists by calling Willow Pass Dental Care in Concord, CA at 925-326-6114 or by clicking on the Schedule An Appointment button below.