Just like adults, children should get a comprehensive cleaning of their teeth every six months to prevent excessive plaque buildup and guard against decay, gum disease and other ailments. This semiannual cleaning will be performed by either Dr. Gibson herself or one of her highly trained dental hygienists. Cleanings typically take just 25 or 30 minutes and include three primary services: scaling, root planing and polishing.

Scaling and root planing encompass the joint process of removing plaque and tartar from all areas of the tooth — both the exterior surfaces and the “proximal” surfaces, the often tight spots where adjacent teeth come into contact. 

Hygienists have customarily performed scaling by hand, but modern technology including sophisticated electric scalers now enable us to do thorough cleanings more quickly and efficiently than ever before. (Most practitioners will use both manual and high-tech scaling methods for optimal results.)

Polishing, a kind of intensive brushing familiar to anyone who has had it done, is the last step of a young patient’s cleaning, leaving the surface of the teeth smooth and helping minimize plaque buildup in the six months before the next visit.