Teeth Cleaning Appointments in Connecticut
You brush your teeth, right? You floss regularly, don’t you? Do you have x-ray vision? Why do you need to go see the dentist a minimum of once a year?
If we’re normal we get two sets of teeth in a lifetime. We start with our baby teeth or also called primary or deciduous teeth and then they are pushed out by the permanent teeth. We don’t get replacements for them unless we go for implants. Therefore, it is extremely important we take care of our teeth and hold on to them for as long as we can until other options come into play.
Even if you brush three times a day and floss constantly, you still need to see a dentist at least once a year for a cleaning and exam. You will never clean like a professional cleaning done by a dental hygienist or doctor. You do not have the equipment or the ability to reach all the areas they can and do. You won’t be able to remove the tarter by yourself, you won’t be able to take an x-ray and have it read to ensure there are not any insidious growths or disease that appear on a radiograph long before it begins to penetrate the bone or soft tissue, any cancers or other progressive diseases.
We use ultrasonic equipment called cavitron scaling equipment which uses high frequency vibrations and water flow to effectively and efficiently clean your teeth removing the calculus (tarter) above the gums. The point of this treatment is to remove the bacteria that are caught in the crevices and gaps (interdental areas) in your teeth and gums preventing them to create the decay in your teeth and disease in your gums. You need to do this a minimum of once per year. Most insurances will allow two times per year.
The Hygiene department should really be known as the Prevention and Diagnosis department. A main tool of diagnosis is the radiograph both with the fmx (full mouth x-ray) and panoramic x-ray. Insurance companies put a limit on the number of x-rays they will pay for, particularly in regards to fmx and panoramic x-rays where they are only allowed once every 5 years.
Columbia Dental disagrees vehemently with this insurance company policy and a unique aspect of Columbia Dental is that because these x-rays are so important to the diagnosis of the patient that if the insurance company reports you’re ineligible for those radiographs, we will take them as courtesies to you without charge. The insurance company does not practice dentistry, we do and we know what is important to your care. We also have available a Cone Beam Cat Scan which looks at soft tissue as well should it be needed for further diagnosis.
Everyone’s mouth contains a variety of bacteria, some of which react with saliva and the food that is eaten to produce a sticky film called plaque. Plaque forms wherever the food debris becomes lodged in the mouth, the usual areas being along the gum margin and in difficult to clean areas called stagnation areas.
Plaque lying along the gum margin will irritate the soft tissue and eventually cause inflammation of the gum, or gingivitis. Regular toothbrushing and interdental cleaning by the patient will remove the plaque and prevent this from happening.
However, if the plaque is not removed, it gradually hardens by absorbing minerals from the patient’s saliva and becomes calculus (tartar). Calculus cannot be removed by tooth brushing alone, and the dentist or hygienist will need to remove it by scaling the teeth. When the plaque or calculus lies attached to the tooth surface above the gum line it is called ‘supragingival.’
The more advanced the damage to the periodontal tissues, the more difficult it is for the oral health team to treat, and the more likely that long term problems including tooth loss will occur.
Come to Columbia Dental for your most important teeth cleaning. Our Manchester office is open 7 days a week with late hours for your convenience, including holidays! 860-645-0111.