What it is?
Professional teeth cleaning means removing hard and soft plaque from teeth, as well as polishing them. Therefore, the procedure usually consists of two parts, and various methods can be used to remove the stone, for example:
- mechanical;
- ultrasonic;
- laser:
- sandblasting (Air Flow);
- using the VECTOR device.
In serious cases, the dentist may use a combination of several methods. Most often, ultrasonic cleaning is done, and then for final polishing, Air Flow is used.
In addition to caring for your teeth, professional cleaning takes care of the condition of your fillings and polishes the filling material. This allows you to preserve the original color of the filling and prevent its destruction.
During the manipulation process, the dentist performs a hardware removal of all excess from the tooth enamel and removes particles from the oral cavity. At the end, a protective fluoride varnish is applied, which reduces tooth sensitivity and contributes to the long-term preservation of the light tone of the enamel and the smoothness of each tooth.
The standard method is what we are familiar with
Most often we use the standard method invented by N.G. Pakhomov – professor of dentistry. Its steps are simple but useful. Cleaning begins from the upper jaw in the following order - from the right molars to the front ones, then finishes on the left molars. After this, they proceed to the lower jaw. The left major ones are cleaned first, then the anterior ones, and lastly the right molars.
The front and back surfaces are treated with sweeping movements from bottom to top, with the head positioned at an angle of 45°. The number of movements is usually 10. Dirt on the chewing side is removed by moving the head back and forth.
To clean the front teeth, the brush is placed vertically, after which sweeping movements are also made. Lastly, the tongue is treated, and finally the mouth is rinsed with water.
In general, the Pakhomov method helps to effectively clean the oral cavity, but for the interdental spaces additional means are needed - irrigators, threads.
Should I brush my teeth?
The question of whether it is worth having professional teeth cleaning or using home remedies may be of interest to almost every person. To understand the need for such a procedure, you should know how plaque is formed.
Even if you carefully follow your dentist’s recommendations and brush your teeth regularly, ideally after every meal, using a toothbrush and the best toothpaste can only remove soft plaque. And even with the correct movements and careful work of the brush, there may be hard-to-reach places in the dentition where, in a short period of time, plaque is mineralized by calcium salts, which are contained in human saliva. As a result, hard plaque (tartar) forms, which cannot be removed at home.
Tartar is made up of bacteria that cause serious dental disease and can lead to the loss of one or more teeth. In addition, the stone is dark in color, so teeth lose their natural whiteness with plaque.
The peculiarity of the formation of tartar is that as soon as the first film appears on the teeth, the process accelerates significantly. The surface of the tooth enamel becomes rough, so various microorganisms easily stick to it. In addition to losing a beautiful appearance, a person develops bad breath.
To get rid of tartar and restore natural whiteness, you need to have your teeth cleaned in a clinic. Only a specialist with dental equipment can effectively remove plaque and tartar, polish and subsequently care for teeth.
Stage No. 5. Polishing the enamel
In order for professional teeth cleaning to be truly effective, and for the difference between what happened before and what happened after to remain as long as possible, it is necessary to carry out the enamel polishing stage. Why is it important? The structure of the enamel is heterogeneous and porous; it contains all sorts of cracks and microcavities into which bacteria and pigment can easily penetrate. After ultrasound and Air-Flo, the enamel again loses its protective film and acquires roughness, which becomes a favorable environment1 for the re-accumulation of plaque. They need to be eliminated. If you do not make hard tissues smooth, they will quickly begin to attract and collect soft food deposits, bacteria, and food dyes.
“I have never done prof. brushing my teeth, and two years ago I decided to do it for the first time. I got excited overnight and therefore went to literally the first doctor I saw. And what do you think? After just six months, I realized that the situation before was even better than it was after! During this time, I accumulated as much plaque as I had never had in my entire life before!!!! Then, of course, it turned out that I ended up with a not very good doctor, who really gave up on polishing, and this is a very important stage. I had the cleaning done again by another specialist, with good reviews, and, you know, I was satisfied.”
Darina, fragment of a review from the dental portal gidpozubam.ru
Polishing is also necessary if the patient has fillings and composite restorations in the mouth, because they also become porous over time and can move away from the tissues of the living tooth.
The range of measures includes polishing tooth enamel
To polish the lateral and chewing surfaces, specialists use a special brush with a rotating head, as well as a paste that is selected depending on the condition of the oral cavity and the characteristics of the patient.
How often should I clean?
Dentists have a unanimous opinion on the issue of frequency of teeth cleaning. The procedure should be performed 1-2 times a year, but not more often, so as not to damage the enamel.
It is necessary to take into account the individual characteristics of the body - for some it is enough to clean the stone once a year, while for another person plaque formation occurs faster, and he needs to visit the dental clinic once every six months.
In addition, professional teeth cleaning is indicated before prosthetics, implantation and dental treatment, as well as before teeth whitening. A clean tooth surface will allow the dentist to do his job better:
- better choose the color of the filling, crown or veneer;
- notice the onset of caries in time;
- prevent many gum diseases;
- achieve good treatment and whitening results.
This manipulation is recommended for those people who smoke and often drink drinks with dyes (tea, coffee, wine, etc.).
Cleaning methods
Currently, dentists offer several methods for cleaning teeth. The oldest is mechanical, when tartar is destroyed using a special tool in the form of hooks. This method can injure your gums, so it is rarely used.
One of the progressive methods is ultrasound. Cleansing is carried out using an ultrasonic scaler. Stones are destroyed by sound vibrations of a certain frequency, while plaque is removed and supragingival and subgingival pockets are cleaned. The doctor can use attachments of different sizes, depending on the complexity of the treatment area and the thickness of the plaque. In addition, during the work, water or an antiseptic is supplied to the oral cavity, which removes stone particles through a dental saliva ejector. The patient does not feel pain, but if the necks of the teeth are sensitive, the doctor administers local anesthesia.
Modern laser systems allow not only to remove the hardest tartar, but also to whiten teeth. The device causes the evaporation of moisture contained in plaque and removes deposits from the enamel in layers. At the same time, the enamel receives a lighter shade, and the achieved result of a snow-white smile will last for several years. The procedure is absolutely painless, but for certain categories of patients there are contraindications.
The latest Swiss technology Air Flow makes it possible to remove particles of plaque, stone and pigments in hard-to-reach places, clean subgingival pockets and polish enamel. Treatment is carried out with a jet of cleaning mixture, which consists of sodium bicarbonate and water. Under high pressure, this composition is applied to each tooth. Regular baking soda acts as an abrasive. This sandblasting method allows for high-quality hygienic treatment, removing all excess from the teeth, achieving a smooth surface of the tooth enamel and its natural lightening. The manipulation is painless and pleasant for the patient. The result is a Hollywood smile and clean teeth.
The VECTOR device is the latest word in dentistry. It is intended for the prevention and treatment of periodontitis and acts by vibration. This technique takes advantage of ultrasonic waves and the active action of a fluoride and calcium based cleaning mixture. Using such equipment, the doctor removes deposits and bacteria, cleans subgingival pockets and polishes tooth enamel.
Modern people have a wide choice of professional hygiene methods. A consultation with a dentist will help you choose the most suitable one.
How to choose a toothbrush
Your dentist's advice will be of great help in choosing a toothbrush.
A soft brush may not clean your teeth as effectively, and hard bristles can damage your enamel and gums. Most often, a medium-hard brush is used. Many people are interested in what is better - an electric brush or an ordinary one. Dentists recommend brushing your teeth with an electric brush no more than 2-3 times a week, because... otherwise the enamel may be damaged. Good reviews about ultrasonic brushes. They allow you to remove plaque in hard-to-reach places due to ultrasonic vibrations that lift plaque from the surface. Recommended for sensitive teeth, braces, periodontal diseases, and other situations where mechanical cleaning is difficult. However, the peculiarities of such brushes are their rather high cost, as well as the presence of contraindications - for cancer patients, people with cardiovascular diseases, mental illnesses, pacemakers and children under 9 years old.
Indications and contraindications
Teeth cleaning in a dental clinic is recommended for everyone, but those people who:
- have installed permanent dental structures (braces, veneers, crowns, implants, etc.);
- are going to undergo professional teeth whitening;
- planning prosthetics or dental treatment;
- smoke;
- drink a lot of drinks that have a coloring effect (coffee, tea, etc.).
If there are certain health problems, a person cannot use any of the teeth cleaning methods offered by dentists, but if necessary, you can choose another option. For example, temporary contraindications include:
- inflammation of the oral mucosa;
- ARVI, bronchitis or other diseases that make nasal breathing difficult;
- pregnancy and breastfeeding period.
In such cases, professional teeth cleaning can be done after such reasons have ended.
General contraindications include the following health problems:
- arrhythmia and other heart diseases;
- asthma;
- increased sensitivity of teeth;
- allergic reactions;
- tuberculosis;
- hepatitis;
- various infectious diseases;
- epilepsy, etc.
Such manipulations are not performed on children and adolescents; if necessary, stone cleaning can be carried out if permanent teeth are present (over the age of 12 years).
What not to do after prof. cleaning?
When a person has spent time and money, visited a dentist and received an excellent result in the form of clean teeth and a snow-white smile, the desire to preserve all this for a longer time becomes understandable. Therefore, it is important to follow the following general recommendations:
- do not eat or drink (especially drinks with dyes) for 2 hours after the procedure;
- Replace an old toothbrush that contains bacteria with a new one;
- for 7 days, eat less foods that can stain tooth enamel (coffee, wine, tea, etc.);
- rinse your mouth after every meal;
- regularly brush your teeth with the correct movements, use special threads;
- Go to the dentist once every six months.
