Dental Cleaning
Lake Oswego, OR
Dental Cleaning provided by Dr. Carly Petersen
in Lake Oswego, OR at The Dentist on Boones Ferry
 There are thousands of naturally-occurring bacteria within the mouth. These bacteria love to eat the same food you consume and live on the teeth surfaces and even under the gum lines in the gum pockets. Fortunately, you can have excess bacteria eradicated through regular brushing and flossing. Our team at The Dentist on Boones Ferry can also perform dental cleanings to eliminate these bacteria along with plaque and tartar. The American Dental Association says that people should have routine dental cleanings every six months. Depending on the purpose of the cleanings, we may schedule your appointments differently. Periodontal maintenance cleanings may be performed every three or four months.
Types of Dental Cleanings
We determine the type of dental cleaning to be performed after examining your teeth and gums. We look at how plaque and tartar have built up and whether you have gingivitis or periodontitis. If there is no gum disease, we perform the standard or routine cleanings. However, if you have gum disease or plaque and tartar forming below the gumline, we do deep cleaning.
Prophylaxis Dental Cleaning
"Prophylaxis" is a word used to mean "preventing disease." As such, prophylaxis dental cleanings are aimed at cleaning and preventing teeth from getting affected by gum disease or tooth decay. Our dentist conducts prophylaxis cleanings to remove bacteria, tartar, and plaque. The dentist uses a dental scaler or a water stream to clean the front, back, as well as sides of the teeth. If you have kept up on your daily dental hygiene and the routine bi-annual dental appointments, you may only require a prophylaxis cleaning.
Scaling and Root Planing
Also referred to as deep cleanings, scaling and root planing are a type of cleaning used to clean the teeth as well as gum pockets. The purpose of this cleaning is to treat gingivitis or periodontitis. Receiving deep cleaning for gingivitis often requires a single appointment, but deep cleanings for periodontitis may need multiple appointments. Scaling removes tartar and plaque from the teeth surfaces and below the gum line or in the gum pockets. Root planing helps smoothen out the roots of teeth so that the receded gums can reattach to the teeth and reduce gum pockets.
Periodontal Maintenance Cleaning
The aim of receiving periodontal maintenance cleanings is to provide treatment for gum disease and prevent it from recurring. Like scaling and root planing, periodontal maintenance cleaning takes out excess plaque and tartar that have formed on the teeth surfaces and gingival or gum pockets. Our dentist also smoothens out the roots of teeth, if needed. Periodontal maintenance cleanings are done more often compared to other dental cleanings because gum disease tends to be progressive and gets worse if not treated effectively.
Gross Debridement Cleanings
People who struggle to keep up with their oral care routine or avoid visiting a dentist for a while may develop copious amounts of tartar and plaque. As such, they require heavy-duty teeth cleanings. Our dentist uses an electrical tool to help loosen the tartar when doing gross debridement cleanings. After removing the excess plaque and tartar, the dentist performs a prophylaxis cleaning to further clean the teeth.
Visit our team at The Dentist on Boones Ferry to find out about dental cleanings and why they are so crucial to the health of the gums and teeth as well as your overall health. Call (971) 377-1208 to set up an appointment. |
