Even as you’ve been brushing and flossing regularly, having the occasional deep cleaning treatment does your pearly whites a lot of good.

Dental cleaning, also known as a prophylaxis, looks for plaque buildup in hard-to-reach areas of your teeth. By removing dental plaque, we can prevent the progression of cavities, gingivitis, and periodontal disease.

Professional dental cleaning is ideally scheduled once every six months. Your dentist not only gives your teeth a good, thorough cleansing, but he also checks your teeth for easily preventable problems as well.

A good dental cleaning session starts with a comprehensive examination of not just your teeth, but also of your gums and your entire mouth.

Your dentist will then use a scaler to get rid of plaque buildup and any tartar deposits around your gum line and in between your teeth.

Then a high-powered electric brush is used as the next step. This is where things get loud, but it’s necessary to get the deep clean your teeth needs as it clears any tartar left behind form the scaler.

Your dentist then makes sure your teeth are clean by flossing deep between your teeth, rinsing your mouth clear of debris, and finally giving your teeth a simple fluoride treatment.

For the most part, a dental cleaning is simple and painless. In some cases, however, there might be more stubborn plaque deposits or even tartar formation.

Your dentist or dental hygienist will want to do a thorough job in giving your teeth the deep cleaning it deserves to keep your chompers in top shape and avoiding more serious dental concerns down the road.