What are the different types of dental cleanings?

A regular schedule of dental hygiene appointments offering professional teeth cleaning by an expert member of our team provides you, our patients, with the best protection against the onset of a host of oral health issues. Protect yourself against the start of tooth decay, tooth abscess, periodontal disease (gum disease), infection and bad breath with regular professional teeth cleaning.

Did you know though that there are different types of dental cleanings depending on each patient’s individual case as presented to us, in our London dental clinic?

Why not read on to discover just how much we can do to help you maintain both a healthy and a beautiful smile – for life. Protect your mouth comfort, and your appetite at mealtimes plus your personal and professional self-confidence by booking your next appointment today.

Routine

At a regular six-monthly check-up, your dental hygienist will clean your teeth using ultrasonic devices with plaque being removed from even the hard to reach areas in the mouth using special hand-held tools. We apply polishing pastes to your teeth to remove any remaining discolouration. The polishing pastes we use also help smooth the surface of your teeth to make them shine.

At Wimpole Street Dental Clinic, we have invested in an EMS prophylaxis master which makes use of a disclosure dye to pinpoint the problem areas and cleans them with a bicarbonate powder/water mix (AIRFLOW® and PERIOFLOW®) above and slightly below the gum line to remove the bacterium and other components such as young tartar.

If needed, we will follow this technique with debridement (removing the more considerable tartar deposits) using piezoceramic instruments (PIEZON® PS No Pain) or via the use of hand instruments. We are delighted to offer this treatment as it can remove almost any staining and, in some cases, brighten your teeth so much that you will not need a separate tooth whitening treatment afterwards.

Professional dental hygiene – why we do it is explained in this video

Deep Cleaning – preventative action against periodontitis

If you are experiencing bleeding or the start of inflammation you may have gingivitis – the mild and reversible form of gum disease (periodontitis). Here you may have two dental cleanings just one to two weeks apart so your dental hygienist can check on the condition of your teeth and gums and so offer a professional teeth cleaning again if needs be.

The cleaning undertaken is mainly above the gum line with both the teeth and the gum pockets being addressed. If teeth need to be cleaned below the gum line then deep scaling and root planing techniques may be used. Scaling removes the hard-set plaque and tartar and root planing smoothes the root surfaces so as to prohibit the growth of new bacterium and so new plaque.

Periodontal Disease – use of open surgery debridement

With periodontal disease the deep cleaning offered by both your dental hygienist and your dentist intensifies to include open surgery debridement if necessary to treat the swelling and bleeding gums and remaining tartar deposit. This is where your gums are slightly lifted to see the surface of the tooth root which is then cleaned meticulously.

You may also need a course of antibiotics and schedule in a re-evaluation appointment in six weeks’ time to check on the newly restored condition of your teeth and gums and also your general oral health.

Resolving Peri-implantitis

A gum disease which occurs around dental implants is called peri-implantitis. The same bacterium which can infect your gums around your natural teeth can also infect the surfaces and gums around your implants. Bacterial deposits which have built up over time need to be removed by professional teeth cleaning. Your dental hygienist can advise on ways to optimise your oral hygiene regime at home to combat this infection plus encourage the use of interdental brushes, too.

Please be advised that just with moderate to severe periodontitis, open surgery debridement may be a necessary option if the peri-implantitis is widespread with dental plaque having reached sensitive areas within the mouth. This technique deep cleans the implant surface and in most cases bone augmentation or soft tissue gum grafts will be performed. For 14 days post-surgery a mouth rinse is recommended.

Dental hygiene£130
Dental hygiene for children up to 12 years£95
Dental hygiene under local anaesthetic£200
Dental hygiene for all-on-4/fixed teeth in a day cases£300

Contact Wimpole Street Dental Clinic today

The best way to discover which type of dental cleaning is most applicable to you in your individual case is to book your next appointment with us. Speak to a member of our Management and Reception team about your current dental cleaning concerns and any remaining questions and they will be able to advise further.

Scroll to Top