Teeth cleaning without these "operations" is likely to be incomplete!

With the increasing popularity of oral health knowledge, the idea that teeth cleaning can prevent and treat dental diseases has long been deeply rooted in people's minds. However, there are still many questions about teeth cleaning that confuse and worry people.

The most noteworthy thing among these is whether the teeth cleaning is regular.

It is true that teeth cleaning, as a technology for preventing and treating dental diseases, is not just a simple "cleaning". Whether before or after the operation, teeth cleaning has certain standards and requirements. Especially teeth cleaning without these "operations" is likely to be incomplete.

Image source: pixabay.com

01 Preoperative "mine clearance"

Although teeth cleaning sounds simple, it is a professional skill after all, and naturally has professional requirements. At present, the overwhelming advertisements for teeth cleaning often give people the illusion that anyone can clean their teeth at any time.

In fact, teeth cleaning is very "picky" about patients and timing.

As far as patients are concerned , the prerequisite for receiving teeth cleaning is to meet certain health requirements. In other words, patients cannot have health problems that make teeth cleaning unsuitable, such as active hepatitis. The reason for excluding patients with infectious diseases such as hepatitis is not discrimination, but to avoid medical transmission of infectious diseases.

The reason why teeth cleaning has the potential to spread infectious diseases is related to its technical characteristics: ① Teeth cleaning is an invasive operation, and the surgical area often involves inflamed gums, which are very prone to bleeding. Coupled with the mechanical stimulation of ultrasonic vibration, gum bleeding is even more likely to occur; ② The power for removing tartar by teeth cleaning comes from ultrasonic vibration, which can also turn the water sprayed from the working tip of the dental scaler into water mist.

In summary, if the patient has an infectious disease, then their blood and saliva can mix with the water mist produced by the dental scaler, causing the pathogen to spread in the form of aerosols. This form of pathogen transmission cannot be eliminated by using disposable instruments or disinfection-related equipment.

Therefore, a blood test before teeth cleaning is very necessary. It can not only rule out infectious diseases, but also rule out other conditions such as bleeding diseases that are not suitable for teeth cleaning.

Image source: pixabay.com

In terms of timing , in order to ensure the effectiveness of treatment, doctors usually need to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the patient's overall oral health before teeth cleaning to eliminate adverse factors that may affect the effectiveness of treatment, such as teeth with severe periodontitis in the mouth. Such teeth are not only worthless to treat or retain, but may also become the source of periodontal pathogens. Retaining them will only cause periodontitis to persist after treatment.

Therefore, it is equally important to take a panoramic X-ray before teeth cleaning, which can accurately identify the severity of the lesions of each tooth and determine whether to keep or remove the tooth. Only when the unfavorable factors are completely eliminated is it the right time to clean teeth.

Image source: pixabay.com

It can be seen from this that blood tests and X-rays before teeth cleaning do not create obstacles to teeth cleaning. On the contrary, they are used to eliminate the "mines" that may cause health problems after teeth cleaning.

02 Postoperative "carving"

Many people who have had a tooth filling know that teeth need to be polished and trimmed after filling. The purpose of polishing teeth after filling is to either make the filling material not exceed the original occlusal surface level of the affected tooth, which is called adjustment; or to make the tooth shape smoother, which is called polishing.

In fact, teeth also need to be polished after scaling.

Although teeth cleaning does not cause substantial damage to teeth, due to the power of ultrasonic vibration, teeth cleaning will still make the tooth surface rough. Rough tooth surface often facilitates the attachment of dental plaque and tartar.

Although teeth cleaning without polishing can temporarily free teeth from plaque and tartar, it creates opportunities for plaque and tartar to return later, which is obviously contrary to the original intention of teeth cleaning. Therefore, the polishing step after teeth cleaning must not be abandoned just to save trouble.

Now you know, right? Teeth cleaning is not just a simple "cleaning" of the teeth. It requires blood tests and X-ray examinations before the operation, and polishing of the teeth after the operation. Teeth cleaning without blood tests, X-rays, polishing and other seemingly irrelevant operations is likely to be incomplete.