One of the most important services offered by mobile dentistry for seniors is dental cleaning. Not all professional dental cleanings are the same. It can be helpful to know different types of dental cleanings to determine the best type of cleaning for you. It is crucial to discuss your cleaning options with your professional dentists and understand different types of dental cleanings. This can be very useful in making the right decision.

Some of the most common types of professional dental cleanings include scaling, prophylaxis cleaning, gross debridement and root planning. Whilst they all help accomplish the same thing – fresher mouth and cleaner teeth, they are done differently. They are also done for different reasons. You should read the following guide to learn more about the different types of dental cleanings that could benefit you.

Prophylaxis cleaning

This type of cleaning is also known as routine cleaning and it is usually performed on healthy patients who need routine maintenance to ensure oral health. In most instances, this type of professional dental cleaning is performed by a dental hygienist.

It entails removing plaque from teeth, removing hardened plaque and any stains on the surface of the teeth. Whilst prophylaxis may not be administered on damaged teeth, it is a great professional dental cleaning method that will help you maintain your healthy teeth along with other regular oral hygiene practices such as brushing and flossing. A professional mobile dental clinic will recommend that a prophylaxis cleaning be done every 6 months to ensure plaque hasn’t begun to run up on the teeth surface and to clean off any hardened plaque if it has already developed.

Root planning and scaling

Root planning and scaling are also referred to as deep cleaning of the teeth. It is only administered to patients with a high risk of developing gum disease. It is also recommended for patients with gum disease. If there is an excess buildup of plaque over time, it can harden on the teeth and turn into calculus or tarter and can cause gum disease and other oral health complications. When this happens, root planning and scaling are recommended to ensure that the plaque is removed. This is most often performed on people with signs of gum disease, such as swollen gums, loose teeth or bleeding gums.

Gross debridement

This is a professional dental cleaning procedure that is administered by a professional dentist to determine if there are any issues with the teeth that were not noticed before the dental cleaning process. A gross debridement is often performed on patients who haven’t visited the dentist in a long period or who have developed a buildup of plaque on the surface of their teeth.

A gross debridement is done by thoroughly removing all the plaque buildup on the gums and teeth. It can be done by mobile dentistry for seniors or by a brick-and-mortar dentist. Whilst a simple gross debridement doesn’t take long, when performed on teeth with a large amount of plaque, it can take a while.