Details on preventive care

With the right preventive care everybody can have healthy teeth and gums throughout their lives.
Brushing your teeth regularly is not enough on its own to prevent decay and parodontitis. In addition to dental hygiene at home, therefore, your dentist will recommend prophylactic care performed by trained personnel in the practice. This is the best way of taking preventive care.

What is professional tooth cleaning?

Even if you are very conscientious about regular dental hygiene, it is not always possible to avoid stubborn bacterial plaque, which is the main cause of decay and parodontitis. Professional tooth cleaning removes all the plaque, tartar and bacteria that have formed on your teeth. This is an effective way of counteracting decay and parodontal disease.

What is the procedure in professional tooth cleaning?

First of all your teeth are thoroughly examined. Then special instruments are used to remove the plaque on the surfaces of the teeth, in the interproximal spaces and in the periodontal pockets. These are the areas that cannot be reached with an ordinary toothbrush. Professional tooth cleaning also removes coffee, tea and nicotine stains.
Once the tartar and plaque have gone, other accretions are removed using small brushes, dental floss, etc. Because bacteria settle on rough spots and in niches first, the teeth are polished to make them smooth. Afterwards either the teeth are fluoridised or the gums are treated with an ointment or both measures are taken.
Finally, the preventive care assistant advises you on proper dental hygiene at home.

How often should professional tooth cleaning be performed?

Scientific investigations have established that professional tooth cleaning undertaken at intervals of between three and six months forms an ideal supplement to thorough and regular brushing of the teeth, thereby helping to ensure healthy teeth and gums. Different intervals may apply depending on the risk of damage to teeth. Corresponding treatment is agreed personally with the patient.

How much does professional tooth cleaning cost?

The law say that adults have to pay for preventive dental care out of their own pockets. The cost of this service is therefore not covered by statutory health insurance. The amount that has to be paid depends on the time needed for the treatment.