The dentist just did some polishing above the gums. The hygienist who scrapes above and below the gums does a thorough cleaning.

Not everyone needs scraping, however. If there are just coffee, tea, or tobacco stains, a polishing is fine. If there is periodontal disease, a scraping is necessary.

My dentist does it himself and I have never had anyone as gentle as he is. He uses tools, the water pik makes my gum's bleed/sore.

Some dentists do use the high powered water-pik thing. I was told it was helpful in removing stains (especially ones caused by smoking). I prefer the scraping.

The hygenist uses a water-scrapper with me, but I have alot of build up naturally. No matter how much I brush or floss. It is placque build up--my system produces too much. My previous dentist did it himself, and missed so much that when I moved it took two time to remove the stuff. Now I go every 3-4 months.

I used to be a dental hygienist - worked for a periodontist - but switched careers many years ago. I still kind of keep up with it through friends who are still in the profession. The water/baking soda thing is more equivalent to polishing vs. scaling and root planing (the dental term for scraping). Some people don't need very much scaling because they don't form calculus (dental term for tartar). However some dental professionals don't take the time to do proper scaling nor do they do thorough screening for periodontal disease. A "gentle" cleaning by a dentist rather than a more rigorous cleaning by a hygienist who has more specialized training and experience is not necessarily a good thing. I know from experience because I saw many patients at the perio practice who had regular cleanings yet whose teeth had never been properly cleaned (resulting in the periodontal disease).

What is really important is that your hygienist (or dentist if there is no hygienist) does a complete periodontal probing to detect signs of periodontal disease. The number one sign is bleeding - healthy gums don't bleed under any circumstances - short of cutting them with a sharp instrument.

Probably way more than you care to know but consider it like a public service announcement.

I don't understand gum disease. My mom and her siblings had pyriea, sorry about the spelling. It was catching, Mom was the only one of her sisters that did not pass it on to her children. We could not drink after her for any reason. Now they just call it all a periodontal disease. In the last few years I was told my teeth would last me the rest of my life, it was the gum's that would be a problem. My gum's would bleed if I did not use the periodontal tool my periodontist told me to use. He said it keeps the gum's hard, he compared it to exercising the gum's. It does work.

Quite a few years ago when we had no dental insurance, the county paid for DH to get a cleaning. This was at an office we had never been to before. When DH got home I asked him how it went, did it hurt, etc. He said that it hadn't hurt a bit. This surprised me because I knew that it had been a long time since he'd seen a dentist (and he's a big baby). So I asked him to describe the process for me. There was no scraper involved at all. Basically, what it amounted to was insurance fraud. That's right. A dentist pretty much "polished" his teeth, and you can bet that he charged the county for a cleaning. Sounds like maybe your friend received much the same.

My dental hygienist is very thorough. First she takes measurements of the gum line at each tooth while an assistant enters them into the computer. Then she does the water pick/sonar cleaning. Scaling follows and then the final polishing with the rotary brush and polishing compound.

Until I switched to my present dentist I never knew what a proper cleaning was.

I am a dental floss fanatic now.

As a 15 year veteran of periodontal disease, please,please, please -pay attention to what gibby3000 said. If you walked barefoot and your feet began to bleed, you'd get yourself to the doctor...if your gums bleed while brushing, flossing or probed by your dentist/hygenist -- get a referral to a periodonist.
Ok - so I'm sending my guy's kids to college.. but wouldn't you rather have your teeth and not have dentures?

I've been seeing a periodontist for many years. I see him once a year for cleaning and have 2 cleanings a year at my regular dentist. 3 cleanings a year is right for me and my insurance covers it.
Kathy G in MI

My dentist gives me the option of traditional paste cleaning or baking soda and spray. Last year I decided to give the baking soda a try and it worked well, however, it left "stuff" all over my face (the water kicks back and you end up with microscopic bits of soda on your skin). I had goggles on, which protected my eyes, fortunately.

I didn't notice that my teeth were any whiter than the normal paste stuff, but the baking soda was just too messy for me. If I get it done again it will be when I have an appointment where I can go home and wash my face.

Periodontal disease is not contagious at least as far as anyone knows. That must have been an old wives tale at the time. They don't really know what causes it entirely though excellent oral hygiene (including flossing daily) and thorough dental cleanings supposedly prevent it. However I think there are hereditary factors and perhaps others too that are unknown. I've had excellent oral hygiene since I was a teenager and thorough cleanings and I still have recession and bone loss. Both my parents and my brother had advanced perio at a pretty young age so I think there's a hereditary factor.

There is a condition known as "trench mouth" named such because soldiers in the trenches got it. It's a very acute form of gum disease and some thought that it can spread among people but you also need to have all the other factors including poor oral hygiene, stress, rundown, etc. It's also known as ANUG (acute necrotizing ulcerative gingivitis).

stargazzer,what kind of periodontal tool do you use? thanks

I had mine cleaned today. The dentist scraped all the teeth then the hygienist, polished with a gritty paste then flossed. That was it.

joann_fla - It was likely the dental assistant who polished your teeth. If there was a dental hygienist on board the dentist wouldn't be doing the scraping. He would be using his time to do things that generate more revenue than cleanings. Dental assistants aren't licensed (or trained) to do the scraping part but they can do the polishing.