How Long Should a Typical Dental Cleaning Take?

Scheduling regular dental cleanings is one of the most important things you can do to maintain good oral health easily. As an added benefit, this can even positively impact your general health as it is closely connected to dental health. Generally, dentists recommend that most people have a professional dental cleaning with a hygienist at least twice a year. It is a treatment that helps reduce the risk of tooth decay and gum disease.

Unfortunately, not everyone takes the need for professional dental cleanings seriously. It is a procedure that many dental patients are tempted to skip, especially if they think their oral care routine is generally good. They imagine there is no need to have their teeth professionally cleaned. Also, nowadays, everyday life can be busy, and it can be tricky to fit in dental appointments, especially considering a dental cleaning can take quite a long time to complete. This can be the case if your teeth have not been professionally cleaned for a while. However, a regular dental cleaning might not take as long as you’d imagine, and it’s time well spent on caring for your dental health.

Why Is a Dental Cleaning Important?

Everyone knows that it’s important to brush their teeth at least twice a day and to floss every day, and the reason for this routine is to remove as much food debris and dental plaque as possible. Dental plaque contains bacteria that feed off leftover sugars and starches found in food debris. These bacteria thrive on these leftovers, producing acid that can damage tooth enamel and toxins that can infect and inflame gums. Everybody has dental plaque that continually forms over your tooth surfaces and is a sticky, clear film containing food particles, saliva, proteins, and bacteria.

The reason why it’s so crucial to remove dental plaque regularly through brushing and flossing is that after a day or two, the plaque combines with minerals found in your saliva, forming a hard, crusty substance called tartar or calculus. Unlike dental plaque, tartar cannot be brushed or flossed away and tends to build up around the gum line and in between teeth, where it can quickly irritate and inflame the gums, resulting in the early signs of gum disease. If tartar remains on teeth, then gum disease can worsen, and in time gums start to recede, allowing pockets to develop between the teeth and gums. These are called periodontal pockets and provide the ideal anaerobic conditions for bacterial growth below the gumline. The toxins and acids these bacteria produce can infect and inflame the gums, bones, and periodontal ligaments that help hold your teeth in place. Eventually, this results in tooth loss, and at this point, it can affect your overall health.

Only a dental professional can remove calculus effectively and thoroughly from your teeth.

How Long Will It Take to Clean My Teeth?

The time needed to clean your teeth can vary between half an hour to an hour or longer. Various factors can influence the time your hygienist needs to clean your teeth thoroughly. These include your oral health, the overall condition of your teeth, and the experience of your hygienist. If it has been a while since you last saw a dentist or hygienist, or you have signs of gum disease and significant tartar buildup, your dental visit will be longer. If you generally take care of your teeth and gums and visit your dentist regularly, your hygienist will not need to spend very long cleaning your teeth professionally.

What Happens During a Professional Teeth Cleaning?

A professional dental cleaning has several distinct stages, and the amount of time required for each can vary.

Examining Your Teeth, Gums, and General Oral Health

Before your hygienist begins, they will want to examine your mouth, checking for signs of tartar buildup, any signs of gum inflammation that could indicate the presence of gum disease, and other problems such as potential tooth decay. Examining your mouth before providing any treatment allows your hygienist to identify any problem areas that must be addressed during your dental cleaning. Also, if your hygienist can see dental problems requiring further treatment, they can discuss them with your dentist. The time required for this step depends on your overall health and the condition of your teeth and gums.

Scaling

Because tartar is such a hard substance, your hygienist may use an ultrasonic scaler that vibrates and helps to break up tartar, loosening it so they can then use another tool to scale or carefully scrape away the tartar from between your teeth and around your gumline. This step can take quite some time to complete, especially if you have any buildup of tartar that needs to be thoroughly removed. Once the step is complete, your hygienist will carefully examine your teeth again and use dental floss to floss between each tooth, checking that the floss can slide smoothly between your teeth and that all tartar is removed.

Polishing

Scaling your teeth can leave the tooth enamel slightly rougher than before, especially if you have a significant calculus buildup. Your hygienist will use an electric tool and special polishing paste to polish your teeth. Polishing them helps create a smoother surface, making it harder for plaque and tartar to build up over freshly cleaned tooth surfaces. It’s also a wonderful treatment to remove some surface stains, which is why a hygiene appointment is great for freshening up your smile and making it look slightly brighter and shinier.

Fluoride Treatment

Many dental offices also advise patients to have a professional fluoride treatment once their teeth cleaning is complete. Fluoride is a very useful mineral that helps to harden tooth enamel, strengthening it and protecting it against decay. There are various ways fluoride can be applied to teeth. For example, it can be applied using a mouth tray filled with gel or foam. Some dental offices give their patients a small cup of professional-strength fluoride mouthwash to swish around their mouth for a minute before spitting out the excess. Yet another way of applying fluoride to teeth is as a varnish. The varnish is visible on teeth afterward and can be left on until you brush them last thing at night before going to bed.

How to Reduce the Amount of Time Needed for Your Dental Cleaning

You can do several things to ensure your dental cleaning takes minimal time to complete and to get the most out of your dental visit. Make sure you fill out any paperwork ahead of time if possible, and many dental offices have the forms online to fill out. Ensure you bring a complete list of prescription and non-prescription supplements with you, as well as information about any recent medical diagnoses, illnesses, or hospital visits. These could affect the treatment your dentist recommends, so it is important to be thorough and provide a complete medical history. Try to keep your teeth in the best condition possible between dental visits by regularly brushing and flossing. Remember that your dental office will always be delighted to advise you on completing these tasks more efficiently using the most appropriate tools. It’s well worth asking, especially if you have problems with flossing. Finally, ensure you have your teeth cleaned professionally as often as recommended. Usually, this will be twice a year, but some people may benefit from more frequent dental visits. Although it might seem awkward to fit in these visits, they don’t take very long in the great scheme of things and can save you time and money in the longer term.

A typical dental cleaning usually takes between 30 to 60 minutes, depending on your oral health and specific needs. At Century Medical & Dental Center, our skilled dental professionals ensure a thorough and comfortable cleaning experience to help maintain your oral health. Regular cleanings are essential for preventing cavities, gum disease, and other dental issues.