Cleaning the teeth of the accumulated plaque and hardened tartar in dentist’s office is termed as Teeth Cleaning. It is different from the regular brushing and flossing one does at home.

A sticky film of bacteria is glued to your teeth surface despite the regular brushing and flossing one does. This plaque hardens if not cleaned periodically and eventually forms something called Tartar. The tartar is also termed as dental calculus.
If left unattended and not cleaned regularly, this plaque or tartar can cause gum disease and tooth decay, also termed as Dental caries.

The first dental procedure a dentist at our Dental clinic would do is to assess the area between your gum and your teeth. Typically the gum tissue between the gum and the teeth should be not more than 3mm. If it is beyond 3mm, it means you have pocketing. This pocket area is where bacteria breed and it needs to be removed to avoid periodontal diseases. The Dentist then proceeds to clean the pocket area wherein the plaque and tartar are removed.

The dentists use a specialized ultrasonic instrument to clean the teeth surface. The instrument has a round surface and vibrates mildly. It also has an aperture from where mist of water is sprayed as it cleans the teeth. This mist helps in removing the loosened tartar.

Teeth cleaning process removes not only the bacteria in the pocket area, it also generally cleans the superficial stains on the teeth.

It is generally recommended that you should get your teeth cleaned at least once in six months. But if the dentist recommends that cleaning is required more frequently, then you may have to make a periodic visit as recommended. It is imperative to maintain good oral hygiene at home by brushing twice and flossing once every day.

However if you are a diabetic, or a child, or a pregnant woman, or a cancer patient, it is recommended that you visit your dentist more often than the recommended time frame of 3-6 months.