What is proper dental hygiene?
Proper dental hygiene is where your gums are in really good shape. This is kind of the bird's-eye view of it. Your gums are a coral pink. They're not red or inflamed. Inflamed gums may bleed when you floss or brush. You don't have any sores, lesions, or odd spots on your gums. There's no tartar above or below the gums, and your bone is in really good shape, meaning you haven't had bone loss. We'll get into more of that here with a few other questions.
What happens if I don't practice good dental hygiene?
We put food in our mouths because we have to survive, right? That food is going to have sugar. That doesn't mean we're eating candy. It just means that food can contain sugar, including natural sugars like those in fruit. The bacteria that are naturally in our mouths feed on that sugar and produce acids that can break down the enamel.
That sugar, mixed with bacteria, starts to form plaque on our teeth. Then that plaque can start to harden. When it hardens, we call it calculus. It's like a hard little rock that's stuck to your teeth that you can't get off at home. We use special tools to remove it. That plaque or calculus can sit down by the gum line and even go underneath the gum line, where bacteria and debris can collect and irritate the gums.
What do the gums want to do when they get irritated? They can swell and become inflamed. Bacteria from the mouth can also enter the bloodstream, which is one reason maintaining good oral health is important for your overall health.
Having said that, the gums can become irritated and start to recede. That's why, when we talk about people aging, we sometimes say they're getting "long in the tooth." That's what it's referring to. The gums have receded, and now the tooth looks really long because more of it is exposed.
As gum disease progresses, the supporting bone around the teeth can also be lost. That bone is what helps hold the tooth in place. When enough bone is lost, the tooth can become loose. Back teeth have more than one root, so picture those roots like legs anchored into the bone. If bone is lost between the roots, plaque and calculus can collect in those areas, and the problem can snowball.
We can wind up with a pretty big situation when it comes to periodontal disease, or gum disease, because it doesn't simply get better on its own. Proper dental hygiene is really important, and prevention is the biggest key. We do have procedures that can help once these problems occur, but it's much easier from a preventive standpoint than from a recovery standpoint.
What are the duties of a dental hygienist?
Generally, when you come into the dental office and your teeth need to be cleaned, a dental hygienist is going to bring you in. They're going to take your X-rays and do an initial evaluation of your gums, teeth, and bone. Along with the doctor, they'll evaluate your oral health, and the doctor will diagnose any gum disease.
Once they've done their evaluation, they'll work with the doctor to decide what treatment is needed to help the patient have healthy gums. There are a variety of procedures they may talk to you about. Sometimes it's an above-the-gum cleaning. Sometimes it's cleaning below the gums. Sometimes a patient may even need to see a gum specialist, which is a periodontist.
Aside from procedures that require a specialist, the hygienist will be the one cleaning your teeth above and below the gums and helping get your gums into a healthier condition.
What tools do dental hygienists use?
I just call it a pressure washer. One of the main tools they use is an ultrasonic scaler, such as a Cavitron. From a patient's perspective, it's kind of like a water spray. It helps clean off calcified plaque, which we call calculus, that's on the teeth. It helps blast that buildup off.
They also have hand instruments that lay against the tooth. As they move them along the tooth, they're able to remove calculus and plaque that's there. Sometimes they use those for fine-tuning and to get in between the teeth and below the gums.
The instruments are shaped differently based on which surface they're cleaning, so you'll see hygienists changing out their instruments. They're doing that because the instruments have different angles and shapes that help them clean the front, back, and other surfaces of the tooth.
Does a dental cleaning by a hygienist hurt?
In general, it shouldn't be painful. I actually think it feels therapeutic. If you have sensitive teeth, let the hygienist know. They can go more gently around those areas, and if you've got a tooth that's sensitive, they've got a couple of little tricks up their sleeve that can help with that.
Usually, when you're done, your teeth feel clean and smooth. You're going to rub your tongue over them, and they're just going to feel so good.
How long does a typical dental hygiene visit take?
I would say maybe an hour, but if you're a new patient somewhere, it might take a little bit longer, maybe an hour and a half. If you're getting a deep cleaning, it could take longer.
If you're younger, it hasn't been that long since you've seen a dentist, you had your teeth cleaned six months ago, and you don't have any cavities or restorative needs, it could be a little less than an hour. But I would expect around an hour to an hour and a half. You can ask us when scheduling, and we'll let you know how long you should expect to be there.
Why is a deep cleaning by a dental hygienist necessary?
That's a great question. When patients come in to get their teeth cleaned, they may have light plaque and a little bit of calculus here and there, mostly above the gums. But sometimes people will have deeper pockets around their teeth.
Where the gums lie against the teeth, the attachment to the tooth starts a little farther down. I compare it to a fingernail. Your fingernail extends out past your finger, and the edge of the gum extends above where it attaches to the tooth. That creates a pocket where plaque, bacteria, and calculus can collect. If that pocket gets deeper, it can be harder to reach and take more time to clean.
In that case, the hygienist needs more time to go in there and clean everything thoroughly. If those areas aren't cleaned and the gum disease continues to progress, the pockets can get deeper, more supporting bone can be lost, and eventually teeth can become loose or be lost.
You want the hygienist to have plenty of time to thoroughly clean below the gum line. Calculus can be like little rocks cemented to your teeth. It's on there and doesn't just pop off quickly and easily, so it takes more time to clean below the gums.
Sometimes we even recommend using an anesthetic when we're going below the gums. Patients may think, "Well, that's more expensive, and I don't want to pay for it." But if a deep cleaning is needed to help preserve your teeth and oral health, it's something you really want to consider investing the time and money into.
What should I do after a dental cleaning?
Continue to brush, floss, and use mouthwash if it's part of your home-care routine. Which mouthwash? I don't really care, but I do like mouthwashes that have the ADA Seal of Acceptance. Products with the American Dental Association Seal of Acceptance have been evaluated according to ADA requirements for safety and effectiveness for their intended use.
For that reason, I do like products that have the American Dental Association Seal of Acceptance. For toothbrushes, I recommend soft-bristled toothbrushes because they're gentler on the gums. We don't want to contribute to unnecessary gum irritation or recession.
Then there's toothpaste. A lot of times people ask what's the best toothpaste. I'm not necessarily tied to one particular toothpaste. I like the taste of Colgate, so that's what I use currently. But if there's a particular toothpaste that's not mainstream that you're thinking about using, ask us in the office and we can let you know.
I don't want to make a blanket statement and say that every toothpaste is okay because some products can be overly abrasive. You don't want something so abrasive that it can unnecessarily wear the tooth surface over time.
Mostly, we're using toothpaste along with brushing to help clean plaque off the teeth between professional cleanings. It's not going to remove hardened calculus. That's why we recommend regular dental hygiene visits. For many patients, that may be every six months, while some patients may need to come in every three months or even more frequently depending on what's going on. For most patients, it's probably around every six months, but it depends on their individual needs.
If you’re ready to schedule an exam or would like to learn more about our services, we’d love to hear from you. Call us at (423) 592-7676 or email [email protected]. We look forward to caring for your smile.