Dental Cleanings

Mill Creek, Washington

Maintaining healthy teeth and gums is critical to your oral and overall health and well-being. At 360 Dental of Mill Creek, we provide cutting-edge preventive services, including dental cleanings, to promote long-term healthy smiles. You can count on our team for the highest level of care.

How Often Should You Schedule Your Dental Cleanings?

General guidelines state that individuals should schedule professional teeth cleanings every six months for preventive maintenance. In some cases, if you have gum disease or are prone to developing oral health problems, we may recommend more frequent dental visits. Dr. Punia will tailor your cleaning schedule according to your needs.

What Is the Importance of Professional Dental Cleanings?

Even with the best oral hygiene care at home, including regular brushing and flossing, plaque can sometimes build up in hard-to-reach areas and harden to tartar. Dental cleanings remove plaque and tartar buildup, lowering the risk of cavities, gum disease, and even tooth loss.

Keeping your oral health in the best shape will reflect your overall health. Periodontal disease has been linked to serious health conditions, including diabetes, heart disease, stroke, respiratory problems, and more.

What Happens During a Routine Dental Cleaning?

At 360 Dental of Mill Creek, our priority is to help make you comfortable. You may feel more at ease when you understand what happens during a dental cleaning, also known as dental prophylaxis.

Our dental hygienist will start by removing plaque and tartar deposits from the surfaces of your teeth and around and below your gum line using a special tool called a scaler. At 360 Dental of Mill Creek, we're pleased to offer quick and gentle cleanings using an ultrasonic scaler, which vibrates, creating sound waves that effectively blast away plaque, hardened tartar (calculus), and surface tooth stains.

The ultrasonic unit delivers a water stream that removes any remaining plaque or tartar buildup and flushes away debris, leaving your tooth surfaces smooth and clean. Ultrasonic cleanings are faster and more comfortable than using traditional dental scalers.

After removing the plaque and tartar from your teeth, our hygienist will use a special toothpaste to gently scrub and polish your teeth and floss deeply to remove any remaining plaque or debris. Depending on your unique needs, we may recommend a fluoride treatment to strengthen your tooth enamel and lower your risk of decay.

What Is Scaling and Root Planing?

If you develop periodontal disease, we may recommend a procedure called scaling and root planing, commonly known as a "deep cleaning." The non-surgical treatment is highly effective in halting the progression of periodontal disease and has been shown even to reverse gingivitis, the earliest stage of gum disease.

Scaling is similar to what you can expect during regular dental cleaning. It involves using our ultrasonic scaler to remove plaque and tartar accumulations from your teeth and gum line. Next is root planing, which involves cleaning and smoothing out the tooth root surfaces. That promotes gum tissue healing and reattachment.