How Long Does a Dental Cleaning Take?
Dental cleanings help prevent gum disease and are a crucial part of maintaining a lifetime of oral health. Dentists usually recommend routine dental cleanings and dental exams every six months, and you should expect to spend around 30 minutes to an hour at your appointment. This time frame varies based on your oral health, the individual procedures required, and your dentist’s familiarity with your medical and dental history – if it’s your first visit at a new dentist, expect the appointment to take longer. There are some steps that are part of any dental cleaning, and some take longer than others. Understanding the steps can help clarify how long your dental cleaning might take.
During a routine dental cleaning, a dental hygienist does more than just clean your teeth. Before cleaning your teeth, your dental hygienist will review your medical and dental history, asking about any medication changes or changes to health and noting any dental concerns. If you haven’t had recent X-rays or if it’s your first visit to a new dentist, your hygienist might take X-rays to evaluate for bone loss, abscess, or hidden tooth decay. It takes about 5-10 minutes to complete the medical history, and the same amount of time for X-rays. Then, the dental hygienist will examine your mouth and teeth, looking for cavities or gum recession, evaluating for gum disease, and checking for other issues with the oral tissues, like ulcers or areas of extreme wear.
Once these important steps are completed, your dental cleaning can begin. Your dental hygienist will use precision tools to remove plaque and tartar from the surfaces of the teeth, cleaning above the gum line where your toothbrush can’t reach and scraping off calcified tartar that brushes can’t remove. It usually takes around 30 minutes for a dental cleaning, though the cleaning could take longer if you haven’t had your teeth cleaned in a long time or if you have significant plaque and tartar buildup. After all plaque and tartar are removed, the dental hygienist will use an electric, spinning brush with an abrasive toothpaste and polish your teeth, removing stains while buffing up shine. This helps keep new plaque from adhering, at least for a little while; you have to follow up with a good home hygiene routine, of course.
After polishing your teeth, the dental hygienist flosses your teeth, removing any lingering debris and checking the gums for tenderness or inflammation. If you have a history of cavities or otherwise at high risk for cavities, your dental cleaning might include a fluoride treatment to reinforce your dental enamel and help your teeth resist decay. Many children receive routine fluoride treatments to help strengthen their developing teeth, though some adults also benefit from these treatments. These last steps with the dental hygienist take around 5-10 minutes to complete. Once these hygiene treatments are done, the dentist will review your x-rays; thoroughly examine your oral cavity and your teeth, and review your treatment recommendations, in collaboration with your dental hygienist. Again, the duration of this step of a dental cleaning depends on a couple of factors, though it tends to take 10-15 minutes, on average, for the dentist’s evaluation. With all of these factors in mind, a routine dental exam and cleaning for a patient with perfect or near-perfect oral and dental health should take about 30-60 minutes. When the cleaning involves x-rays and includes a full dental exam, add about 15 minutes to that time, and add another 15 for first-time visits. If you see your dentist and dental hygienist as recommended, usually every six months, your semi-annual cleaning shouldn’t take long at all. Consider it a small investment in the future of your shining, healthy smile.