Types ofDental Cleanings

There are three most common dental cleanings in a general dental practice prophylaxis cleaning, scaling and root planing, and gross debridement. So not all dental cleaning are the same.

DIFFERENT TYPES OF DENTAL CLEANINGS

The most common cleanings are performed differently and for different reasons. In order to fully understand why and when each type of cleaning is performed, the following is everything you need to know.

PROPHYLAXIS CLEANING

A prophylaxis cleaning, otherwise known as a routine cleaning, is performed on healthy patients who just need routine maintenance in order to ensure oral health. These patients have had regular six month cleanings, and regular evaluations with there provider.

Our prophylaxis cleaning is performed by a dental hygienist, and it entails removing all the plaque from teeth, removing deeper, hardened plaque (calculus) and any stains that exist on the surface of the teeth.

Most dentists recommend a prophylaxis cleaning once every six months to ensure plaque has not begun to build up on the surface of the teeth and to clean off hardened plaque if it already has developed.

SCALING AND ROOT PLANING

Scaling and root planing, which is also referred to as a deep cleaning, is typically only administered to patients at high risk of developing gum disease or patients who have already developed gum disease.

Scaling and root planing is most often performed on patients who have signs of gum disease, such as bleeding gums, swollen gums or loose teeth.

GROSS DEBRIDEMENT

A gross debridement is a dental cleaning procedure that is determine if there are any teeth issues that were not initially noticed before the dental cleaning.

A gross debridement is most often performed on patients who have not visited the dentist in more than a year or who have developed a build up of hardened plaque on the surface of the teeth.