Regular teeth cleaning appointments positively affect your oral hygiene. If you haven’t had one in a long time, it’s understandable that you may feel nervous about this appointment. Let’s look at each teeth cleaning step and its role:
Step 1: Examine Your Mouth
Your Warner Robins dentist will examine your mouth with a small mirror to see if any decay has occurred, where plaque has formed, and if there are any cavities present. This allows him to plan for the teeth cleaning appointment and address any area of concern you may have.
Step 2: Remove Plaque
If you don’t floss and brush your teeth at least twice a day, plaque will begin to build up near your gumline. Over time, this plaque can turn into tartar which negatively affects your oral hygiene. Your dentist will remove plaque and tartar to give your mouth a fresh start.
Step 3: Brush with Special Toothpaste
Your dentist uses special toothpaste that gives your teeth a good scrub! If you have any questions about what toothpaste to use at home, talk to your dentist about that. He can recommend a good toothpaste that will meet your needs (i.e. anti-cavity or teeth whitening).
Step 4: Floss & Rinse
Did you know that if you don’t floss, roughly 40% of your tooth’s surface is not being cleaned? Brushing and flossing your teeth ensures that the entire tooth is being cleaned and plaque is removed. If you don’t floss regularly, your gums may bleed during this step. This is because your gums are irritated from the plaque. After flossing is complete, you’ll rinse your mouth.
Step 5: Apply Fluoride Treatment
Fluoride is used to strengthen your teeth’s enamel. You may be aware that your toothpaste has fluoride in it and possibly in your drinking water! A small amount of fluoride is safe for people. At your teeth cleaning appointment, your dentist will apply a fluoride treatment to your teeth which will help fight cavities over the next few months.