Professional cleaning: how often do you need one?

Why brushing at home cannot reach it

Plaque is a soft layer of bacteria that forms every day, and a brush and floss deal with it well. The trouble starts when the plaque left behind takes up minerals from your saliva and hardens into tartar: a firm deposit stuck to the enamel and the root that will not come off however hard you brush. It can only be removed with instruments.

Tartar also has a rough surface, so it holds even more plaque against the gum and keeps it inflamed. That inflammation is gingivitis: red gums that bleed when you brush. It is reversible. Left for years, though, it can progress to periodontitis, and what is lost then is the bone around the tooth — and bone does not grow back on its own.

What happens during the appointment

A professional clean is not three minutes with a buzzing handpiece. We start by checking the state of your gums and measuring where there is inflammation, and we finish by spending time on what is not working at home — often the most useful part of the whole visit.

• Ultrasonic scaler: vibration and water lift the tartar off without scratching enamel.
• Hand curettes: for the fine work below the gum and between teeth.
• Airflow: a jet of water and fine powder that removes biofilm and coffee, tea or tobacco staining.
• Polishing with a rubber cup and paste to leave the surface smooth.
• A final check, plus brushing, floss and interdental advice matched to your mouth.

How often, in your particular case

With healthy gums and good brushing, once a year is usually enough. If you build tartar quickly, smoke, wear braces, have implants, or have a dry mouth from medication or diabetes, the interval drops to every 6 months or less. This is not guesswork: at each check-up we can see how things have gone since the last clean and adjust the rhythm accordingly.

Periodontal maintenance is a different matter. If you have had periodontitis and completed gum treatment, maintenance visits fall every 3 or 4 months, and they are not optional — they are what keeps the disease from coming back. It is not the same appointment as a routine clean, because we work below the gum and re-measure the pockets.

Bleeding and sensitivity afterwards

If your gums were inflamed, expect some bleeding during the session and a day or two of tenderness afterwards. Do not stop brushing because of it: brushing properly is precisely what makes the bleeding stop, usually within a week or two.

You may also feel more sensitivity to cold for a few days, especially where tartar had been covering part of the neck of a tooth. It normally settles by itself; in the meantime a toothpaste for sensitive teeth helps, as does avoiding very cold drinks. If it is unchanged after two weeks, call us — there may be another cause worth checking.

What you do every day decides the outcome

A professional clean resets the counter, but what happens between visits comes down to home care. Twice a day, two minutes, with a fluoride toothpaste, and something between the teeth every night: floss or interdental brushes in the size that actually fits your gaps. That, rather than the brand of your toothbrush, is what makes the long-term difference.

Book your appointment

If it has been more than a year since your last clean, or your gums bleed when you brush, it is worth having a look. Call 972 30 65 64 or write through the contact form and we will book you in with the hygienist; at the same visit we can tell whether you need a routine clean or gum treatment.