Visiting the dentist for regular cleanings and examinations is very important for maintaining your oral health. At Downtown Montreal Dentistry, Dr. Seminara and his team of hygienists, Laurie, Kim and Tara, work hard to personalize the hygiene experience for every patient.

Want to know what to expect at a dental hygiene visit?

The appointment will likely last 45 minutes to 1 hour. The hygienist will first verify any changes in your medical  and dental history. If there have been any changes, particularly with your medications, please bring an up to date list to the appointment. If you have had any recent dental x-rays taken at a different clinic, it can be helpful to bring those along as well.

Once the medical history is complete, the hygienist will make a thorough assessment of you gums. They may use an instrument called a probe to measure areas of recession and loss of support of your teeth. This is usually a quick and very comfortable experience, although sometime there might be some soreness if your gums are not perfectly healthy.

After the gum assessment, your hygienist or the dentist will explain the results to you and discuss oral hygiene. If your gums are healthy and stable, your clinician will give your teeth a scaling and clean to remove all the plaque and calculus. They may use an ultrasonic machine, which sprays water and vibrates. After that, some cleaning with hand instruments might be required. You will also have your teeth polished with mint toothpaste, flossed with dental floss, and sometimes fluoride is applied to strengthen your teeth. Sometimes if there is the presence of more complex gum problems, we may ask you to return for a second dental hygiene appointment to finish, or perhaps discuss the need for deeper cleaning under anesthetic. If there are any specific dental problems that are found during the exam, we will go over what was found and offer solutions. The need for any further treatments are unique to each individual patient. Any decisions are made in collaboration between the dentist, hygienist and you.

As regular intervals, and in consultation with Dr. Seminara, x-rays may be taken to be sure that there are no cavities or other problems. As always, we take as few x-rays as possible, but enough to make a proper thorough diagnosis. Finally the hygienists will go over recommended brushing and flossing techniques, pointing out areas where you could improve your home care. The may recommend certain products like interdental brushes or special toothpastes, and will usually be able to provide some samples for you to try.

Finally the hygienist will book your next recall appointment at the recommended interval. This is usually 6 months for most patients, but sometimes 4 or 9 months. The last step of your dental hygiene appointment is to smile, and show off your beautiful clean teeth to the world!