When it comes to maintaining your oral health, a combination of good at-home dental care and professional cleanings are key.
During your routine Robina Dental, a dentist or dental hygienist will use tools and techniques to get rid of plaque and tartar.
In addition, your hygienist may also apply fluoride treatment to your teeth during the appointment.
Brushing
Keeping your teeth clean can help prevent tooth decay, gum disease, and even oral cancer. Brushing twice a day with fluoride toothpaste and flossing between your teeth once a day are the basic recommendations for dental hygiene.
However, these habits can’t always remove the plaque that accumulates on your teeth and gums. That’s why it’s important to have a professional dental cleaning done twice a year.
The first step of a cleaning is scaling, which involves using hand instruments called scalers to remove plaque and tartar buildup on the surface of your teeth. Occasionally, your hygienist may use an ultrasonic scaler to remove more hardened plaque from your teeth.
After the hygienist removes all of the plaque and tartar on your teeth, she will then polish them. This step is used to remove any surface stains that may have formed over time from drinking coffee, smoking, or eating a lot of highly pigmented foods and drinks.
Flossing
Flossing is a good way to keep food particles and plaque from getting lodged between your teeth. Flossing also removes plaque that may have built up in places your toothbrush can’t reach, which could help reduce the risk of cavities and gum disease.
The best floss to use is usually a nylon or multifilament dental floss, available waxed and unwaxed. These are thinner and easier to grip than string floss.
To floss, start at the top of your mouth and work your way down. Make sure to floss the back side of your teeth as well.
Gently curve the floss around each tooth, forming a C-shape. Press it tight against one tooth and gently slide it up and down each tooth, working it beneath the gum line and up to the highest contact point between the teeth.
Don’t snap or force the floss too far as this can cut or bruise delicate gum tissue. Using clean sections of floss each time, repeat this back-and-forth motion from tooth to tooth.
Dental Air/Water Syringe
When doing a dental cleaning, hygienists use an air/water syringe to rinse and dry patients’ teeth. This device may also be used to clean the gums.
While this tool is a necessary part of a routine dental cleaning, it is not without its flaws. Aside from the obvious safety concerns, it can be difficult for a dentist, orthodontist, and hygienist to sterilize an air/water syringe.
In a study published in the Journal of Infection, researchers found that non-disposable air/water syringe tips retained bacteria after standard sterilization procedures. Moreover, they had significantly greater bacterial contamination than single-use disposable tips.
The level of corrosion and contaminant build-up in the syringes was also examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). Both the NNDS and ONDS had high levels of carbon, copper, zinc, oxygen, and sulphur.
Oral Exam
The oral exam is an important part of doing a dental cleaning. It can be a good way to see what your teeth look like, but it also lets the dentist know whether you need any treatment for gum disease or bone loss.
A good dentist will recommend you get your dental exams every six months or so. X-rays are usually taken at this time, too, which can help the dentist determine if there is anything abnormal in your mouth.
Often, oral exams are offered in school as an alternative to written exams for students with writing disabilities, such as dysgraphia or developmental coordination disorder. This can sometimes improve their grades.
You should spend some time studying for your oral exam, so you can answer any questions your teacher may have in a confident and clear manner. Be sure to arrive on time for your exam and dress appropriately for the type of oral exam you are taking.
