How Long Does It Take for a Standard Dental Cleaning?

Smiles of Cary Family Dentistry

If it's been a while since your last standard dental cleaning, you may be wonder how long it'll take. After all, if the length of a dental cleaning procedure depends on your last dental visit and the state of your teeth, you could be in for quite a cleaning if you haven't been the best about regularly brushing and flossing over the years.

However, even if you're caught up on all your cleanings and you take earnest care of your teeth both morning and night, you'll still be in for some time in the cleaning chair. Your dental hygienist may not have as much to do than if you've fallen behind on keeping up with your teeth, but there's still a teeth cleaning process to be done, in addition to X-rays and a careful examination of your mouth.

Average Time for a Dental Cleaning

For patients that practice good oral hygiene including brushing and flossing, a standard dental cleaning may only take about 30 to 40 minutes. That said, this isn't a hard and fast rule, and each dental cleaning is unique to your teeth and your oral health habits.

Some hygienists are also faster than others, so what may take half-an-hour for one could take 20 or 45 minutes for another. Another part of the equation is you. If you're distracting your hygienist and asking questions while they're trying to work, it could delay the teeth cleaning process.

Types of Dental Cleaning Procedures

While most cleanings aim to do basically the same thing, which is to give you cleaner teeth, there are three different types of dental cleaning procedures: prophylaxis cleaning, scaling and root planing, and gross debridement. Each are performed for different reasons, though they're all covered under the teeth cleaning cost provided by your dental health plan.

A prophylaxis cleaning is known as the standard dental cleaning, which is given to healthy patients that need some basic cleaning work to maintain good oral health. Performed most often by a dental hygienist, a prophylaxis cleaning is concerned mostly with removing plaque, calculus and any stains that are visible on the teeth. According to most dentists, a standard dental cleaning should be done every six months.

The second type of dental cleaning is scaling and root planing, which is more of a deep clean. This type of cleaning is only given to patients that need more than a simple clean, or if gum disease has already taken hold. Other indications that you may need this type of teeth cleaning is if you have bleeding gums, swollen gums or loose teeth.

Let Smiles of Cary Help

Whether you keep your teeth in tip-top shape or it's been a while since your last dental cleaning, let Smiles of Cary show you how compassionate dentistry works. From teeth cleaning to whitening, implants and everything else having to do with oral hygiene, we're a full-service dental office that serves the needs of Cary, Raleigh and the surrounding communities. Schedule an appointment today and get back on track with your oral hygiene!

Whether you need endodontic dentistry, pediatric dentistry, cosmetic dentistry or even emergency dentistry, give us a call!