Hygiene Recare & Oral Cancer Screening

Your Hygiene recare and Oral Cancer Screening appointment is a professional appointment you receive from a dental hygienist.  Hygiene Recare and Oral Cancer Screenings are routinely done every six months to prevent excessive plaque buildup. Your hygienist may recommend more frequent visits, depending on your home care and hygiene needs.  Plaque left untreated can lead to unhealthy gums and tooth decay.

Scaling

This is the process of removing plaque and tartar from all tooth surfaces in a variety of methods, depending on the amount of plaque and tartar.

Dental hygienists traditionally perform scaling by hand. However, new and advanced technology has lead to more modern methods such as electric scalers. This sophisticated tool allows dental cleanings to be performed more efficiently and in less time. To achieve best results, both electric and manual scaling methods are combined for dental cleanings.

Root planing

This is the process of removing plaque and tartar from below pockets in the gums to treat and prevent gum problems.

Root planing is used to treat moderate to advanced gum diseases. When the gum is inflamed, gum pockets become deeper and may lose connections to the bone inside. The deeper the pockets, the easier it is for plaque deposits to become trapped and worsen gum problems.

Root planing involves inserting a pointed dental tool called scalers into the gum pockets to clean plaque buildup. Depending on the degree of difficulty, root planing may take several appointments and a local anesthesia may be used to prevent pain.

Polishing

This is the last step in your hygiene recare appointment and involves finishing the surface of the teeth to make them shiny and clean.

There are two kinds of polishing: air polishing and rubber tip polishing. Air polishing works by spraying high pressured water mixed with baking soda paste onto the surface of your teeth. This powered water washes away residue and plaque while baking soda removes stains. Rubber cup polishing uses a low-speed and gentle hand-piece that contains a polishing paste made of abrasive ingredients ideal for removing stains.