What to Expect at Your Dental Cleaning (Prophy)
Here’s what you can typically expect when you come into Boulder Dental Arts for a dental cleaning. If your gums are in good shape our dental hygienists (who went to a special school and don’t like being called assistants) will use ultrasonic and hand instruments to break off small tartar deposits, stains, and plaque that builds up over time. They will also discuss with you how to maintain your dental and gum health at home. At the end of your cleaning, you also get fun swag!
Dental Cleanings are Necessary for Gum Health
There’s so much confusion out there about how we clean your teeth, and it all revolves around the fact that somewhere along the line dentists condensed everything into one term “cleaning”. Now suddenly you are hearing different terms thrown around and thinking “whaaa?” In the past decade our attention has turned to focus on gum health, which may have been overlooked previously. It turns out gum health is super important, and when gums are diseased it can affect many different parts of your body. Poor gum health can impact your heart, pregnancy, diabetes, and many more conditions. This is why Boulder Dental Arts focuses on educating you about gum health during your cleaning procedure.
Periodontal Cleanings & Maintenance
If you haven’t been to a dentist in a while, are genetically predisposed, or don’t have good home dental care, periodontal disease can develop. Periodontal disease is an infection of the gums that can lead to tooth loss. Bad bacteria and tartar infect the pockets under the gums, creating chronic inflammation. A periodontal cleaning involves scaling and root planing to remove the bacteria and tartar buildup that creates the infection. Periodontal patients require more frequent cleanings than standard patients to prevent relapse. Continued dental care is necessary otherwise periodontal disease can reoccur and lead to tooth loss.