Dental Exam, Teeth Cleaning, & Deep Cleaning
Call Today: 915-500-3643
Routine Dental Cleanings
Dental cleanings are the most important form of preventive general dentistry. At home, brushing and flossing remove plaque from your teeth. Plaque is a sticky film that adheres to your teeth and consists of harmful oral bacteria. Left unremoved, plaque hardens into tartar. At Hillside Dental, a cleaning removes tartar from your teeth and along your gum line. As part of your regular dental exams, dental cleanings help you prevent issues that could otherwise lead to the need for more extensive cosmetic or restorative treatment.
Deep Cleanings (Scaling and Root Planing)
While regular dental cleanings keep plaque, tartar, and bacteria off the crowns of your teeth, oral bacteria can sometimes work to decay your teeth underneath your gums and onto your roots. The resulting infection, known as gingivitis, can cause rampant gum inflammation and eventually lead to gum disease—the leading cause of adult tooth loss.
If you exhibit signs of gingivitis, then our dentist can recommend a deep cleaning, or scaling and root planing, to remove the bacterial plaque and tartar from underneath your gums. In most cases, we can perform ultrasonic scaling to break up plaque deposits easier and comfortably. However, the procedure may still require more than one visit to complete.
Another benefit of our deep teeth cleaning treatment is protecting your teeth against tooth loss. When gum pockets exceed a certain amount of millimeters in-depth, the risk for periodontal disease increases. As pockets in your gums deepen, more bacteria are able to collect and colonize. This collection of bacteria eventually causes a chronic inflammatory response by the body to destroy gingivitis and bone tissue. This can lead to rapid tooth decay and eventual tooth loss.
Scaling and root planing can make the mouth and gums more aesthetically pleasing and should reduce bad breath caused by food particles and bacteria in the mouth. Discoloration and stains on the teeth will be removed during scaling and planing, adding an extra bonus to the effectiveness of the procedure.
Schedule a Teeth Cleaning in El Paso, TX
We depend on our teeth for important daily activities like eating and speaking. At Hillside Dental, we know that having a healthy smile is important, so we recommend our patients visit us twice a year for regular and professional dental cleanings. Schedule an appointment today by calling us at 915-500-3643, or filling out the form on this page.
What Happens During a Dental Exam & Teeth Cleaning?
Regular dental exams are a vital part of preventive dental health care and will help you keep your teeth and gums healthy for a long time to come.
During your dental exam, our dentist or hygienist will clean your teeth and check for cavities and gum disease. The exam includes evaluating to see if you have any oral health problems by checking your face, neck, and mouth for any abnormalities. A dental exam might also include digital dental X-rays or other diagnostic procedures.
How Long Does an Exam Take?
The average dental examination performed by our dentist takes about 45 minutes. It may take longer than that depending on the patient’s overall oral health condition. If the patient has many dental health problems, then it will have to take more time to address the oral issues.
Initial Oral Examination
The dentist will check your face, neck, and mouth for any abnormalities, and take X-rays to examine areas within your mouth and teeth that are not visible to the naked eye. Next, your dentist or dental hygienist will clean your teeth thoroughly for you.
Plaque & Tartar Removal
Deep teeth cleaning has two parts. Scaling is when your dentist or hygienist removes all the plaque and tartar (hardened plaque) above and below the gum line, making sure to clean the root of the tooth. Root planing is smoothing out the roots of your teeth to help your gums reattach to your teeth. Deep teeth cleaning with scaling and root planing may take more than one visit to complete depending on the oral health of the patient.
Polishing & Flossing Teeth
A standard part of your routine teeth cleaning appointment is tooth polishing, which leaves your tooth enamel glossy and smooth. Your teeth are inspected for decay and weak spots in the enamel. Plaque and tartar are scraped from the surface of your teeth in a process called scaling. Your teeth are then buffed and polished to remove staining before being flossed and topped with a protective coat of fluoride.
Rinse & Flouride Treatment
Fluoride will be applied directly to the enamel of the teeth in the form of a fluoride treatment after a thorough rinse to wash out any leftover debris. These professionally applied topical treatments take only a few minutes and can be done during your regular dental checkup.
Schedule a Dental Exam & Teeth Cleaning Today!
Schedule a dental exam and teeth cleaning in our Northeast El Paso, TX dental office today. Call us at 915-500-3643 or visit our Contact Us page.