Wellness

[smb3]

I recently started with a new dentist and they used the ultrasonic/water for cleaning.  You don't feel a thing and it works well.  The only negative is the water was lightly spraying over face (not a lot), so that might be annoying to some.  It is much better than the picking away at the teeth!  

[Montana]

The last few times I have had the ultrasonic cleaning. So much faster and for me, much gentler than manual picking and scraping.  The hygienist said some people are sensitive to the water spray and don't like it, but I hardly felt a thing.  

[SeaMaiden]

@Evie2004  Never too late!  As far as flossing, they just came out a  years ago  with info saying flossing is not as helpful as it was touted.  So do not feel anxious about that at all.

 Go in with a good spirit!, ....if they find any "issues" as I call them (as I  was not gifted with great teeth myself). Just do what is the most important first and take each "issue" at a time.  Do not  get over whelmed or feel depressed.  It is good that you are getting a cleaning! Bravo to you! 👍👍👍👍👍

[SandPiper]

@Evie2004 Better late than never. Hope all went well today. Now that you have squeaky clean teeth try and get into the habit of flossing and brushing and your next cleaning will be a piece of cake. 

[kivah]

I use a Sonicare Electric Toothbrush - have been doing so for over 20 years. That is the secret of cleaning ur teeth well - and removing plaque. Never use those manual toothbrushes, which remove the teeth's enamel. Something ur dentist will never tell u. I floss every night - I use Glide Floss in the dark blue pack (not the blue/green pack - which shredded).

I also use Kirkland Pro Complete Toothpaste and/or Sensodyne Pronamel - which I buy at Costco or from Costco on-line. It's important to brush ur tongue --- from far back to front. That's where the bacteria is. I brush my teeth in the morning and evening. 

These toothpastes are very gentle - and effective - on ur teeth/gums.

I also have several crowns and one implant -- the rest are all my teeth - and I'm almost 77 yrs old.

I get my teeth cleaned every 6 months.

No one should fear the dentist - if u do --- check out other dentists from friends/family or on-line. You need to find a dentist who has State-of-the-Art equipment. That's very important. You should also check out dentists' websites.

[Evie2004]

---

@Carmie wrote:

If you want a gentle cleaning, your teeth should be fairly free from plaque.  If you have plaque, it will have to be scraped off.  I think that is an unpleasant experience, but not painful.

After your cleaning tomorrow, floss and brush everyday and your next cleaning in six months will be gentle.

You are wise to want to keep your natural teeth.

---

@Carmie  It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be..lots of scraping, but thankfully X-rays were ok & he thinks a 6 month follow-up is fine..I am not the most faithful flosser, but will try to work on it..thanks

[Evie2004]

---

@ID2 wrote:

Eee gad why did you wait a full year?? I go every six months, religously, and they have to scrape and pick away at my teeth. Get ready for a good workout!! 

@ID2 i survived the scraping, fairly new hygienist & she took it easy on me..will work on flossing!

[Evie2004]

---

@SeaMaiden wrote:

@Evie2004  Never too late!  As far as flossing, they just came out a  years ago  with info saying flossing is not as helpful as it was touted.  So do not feel anxious about that at all.

 Go in with a good spirit!, ....if they find any "issues" as I call them (as I  was not gifted with great teeth myself). Just do what is the most important first and take each "issue" at a time.  Do not  get over whelmed or feel depressed.  It is good that you are getting a cleaning! Bravo to you! 👍👍👍👍👍

---

Thanks to SeaMaiden, I survived it, nothing major going on..thanks for encouragement!

[SaRina]

Glad to hear it went well @buckeye mom.  

Just some general info so everyone understands and maybe avoid unpleasant procedures......

Plaque, which is a thin, gooky film of bacteria collects on your teeth/gums all day. It is removed by brushing and flossing. Doing this twice a day has been found to keep plaque sufficiently at bay not to cause problems.

If you don't consistently brush twice a day and try to floss at least once a day, plaque will not be sufficiently removed. When plaque is left on the teeth for too long, it hardens on your teeth. This is called tartar. Once tartar has hardened on your teeth, more gooey plaque will adhere to that and harden if not removed. Tartar cannot be removed with brushing/flossing because it is hard. Tartar can only be removed with dental instruments.

Depending on the condition of one's teeth/gums and how much tartar has hardened will determine how involved the dental cleaning will be. If you take good care of your teeth, there will be very little tartar and this can be removed easily with an ultrasonic instrument. If you haven't been taking care of your teeth and more tartar has collected, you'll require a more involved cleaning using dental instruments that are used to scrape the teeth even below the gum line on the root. (root planing)  More involved procedures are usually done in a periodontist's office.

Everyone should have a dental cleaning at least twice a year. People who aren't as diligent or who collect tartar more easily need to get dental cleanings 3 or 4 times a year. It pays to be diligent and to keep up with brushing/flossing and regular cleanings to avoid more dental problems like losing your teeth.