Professional teeth cleaning supplements daily oral hygiene. If you have your teeth cleaned regularly by an appropriate specialist, you prevent problems such as infections or inflamed gums. In principle, medical teeth cleaning counts as an additional service that the statutory health insurances do not cover. Nevertheless, it is recommended in many cases.
- Professional teeth cleaning supports daily dental care and also prevents tooth decay and periodontal disease.
- Medical teeth cleaning usually takes 30 to 60 minutes, but it depends on the condition of the patient’s teeth.
- Most dentists recommend having the intensive cleaning done twice a year.
- Without additional dental insurance, you usually have to pay the treatment costs for teeth cleaning yourself.
What is professional teeth cleaning?
Professional teeth cleaning is an essential part of the preventive measures commonly used in dentistry. It serves as a precaution (prophylaxis) and goes far beyond the usual extent of a dental check-up. The teeth are thoroughly cleaned with special treatment instruments and, among other things, freed of plaque that can promote tooth decay or periodontitis.
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In some practices, the dentist carries out the medical teeth cleaning himself. In others, however, trained employees carry out preventive treatment. This not only includes mechanical cleaning of the teeth, but also individual advice on oral hygiene.
How useful is professional teeth cleaning?
Whether professional teeth cleaning makes sense depends on the specific individual case. For example, if you brush your teeth twice a day and don’t forget the spaces between your teeth, you usually practice good oral hygiene. If there are no problems with the teeth, professional teeth cleaning is not necessarily necessary.
Even if normal care already provides a good basis for long-term tooth preservation, only very few manage to really remove all impurities. Finally, the rear molars in particular are difficult to reach. A dentist, on the other hand, has special hand instruments that use ultrasound to clean teeth. However, cleaning by a trained person can only support daily oral hygiene. In no way is it an adequate substitute.
There are patients for whom medical teeth cleaning definitely makes sense – for example all those who are particularly prone to tooth decay and / or periodontitis. Regular prophylaxis is also ideal for people with sensitive gums and for those who wear braces or dentures.
Procedure and duration: What do you do when you clean your teeth?
First, the dentist examines the teeth and explains the treatment. He then removed the teeth from plaque ( plaque ). The dentist often uses ultrasonic teeth cleaning for soft plaque. He usually removes hard deposits such as tartar with a hand instrument. He usually uses a powder jet device to remove stains from his teeth. This washes away the deposits with a mixture of water, salt and air. Then the doctor cleans the spaces between the teeth with dental floss or an interdental brush.
The next step is to polish your teeth. Bacteria are more difficult to settle on a smooth tooth surface. Finally, the attending doctor applies a fluoride gel to the teeth to protect their surface. He also gives advice on proper oral hygiene.
The treatment usually lasts between 30 to 60 minutes. How long the dentist needs for professional teeth cleaning depends on the one hand on the number of teeth to be cleaned and on the other hand on their condition.
How often should you have a professional teeth cleaning done?
The attending physician recommends the intervals at which medical teeth cleaning makes sense. Most dentists advise their patients to have their teeth cleaned professionally about every six months, i.e. twice a year. In exceptional cases – for example if there is a high risk of periodontitis – shorter periods are advisable.
The disadvantages of professional teeth cleaning
Although prophylaxis is very useful in many cases, there are also some negative aspects. The biggest disadvantage is undoubtedly that the treatment is relatively expensive: depending on the dental practice, it costs up to 120 euros. However, professional cleaning is not just a big hit in the budget, it can also affect the teeth themselves. In retrospect, some patients struggle with sensitive tooth necks. Usually, however, such symptoms subside within a day or two.
In addition, there are various risks associated with medical teeth cleaning. Above all, this includes:
- Release of bacteria from gum pockets
- Infection with pathogens
- Damage to the tooth structure
- Injury to the gums
- Scratches on implants
Practical tips for cleaning teeth at home
It is practically impossible to brush your teeth at home as professionally as a dentist. With a little effort, however, you can also achieve very good oral hygiene in front of the bathroom mirror at home. If professional teeth cleaning is not an option for you (for example due to the cost or general fear of dentists ), you should consider the following tips in particular:
- Brush your teeth at least twice a day for three minutes
- Use sonic toothbrushes (these use ultrasound to clean teeth)
- Use dental floss or interdental brushes for the spaces between the teeth
- Clean the tongue once a day
