Prophylaxis

Professional tooth cleaning is carried out in a dental practice and is also referred to as prophylaxis.

In order to optimally care for your own teeth and prevent diseases such as periodontal disease or tooth decay, daily, individual dental care is essential. Regular, correct tooth brushing and a high-quality toothbrush are important for this; interdental brushes and regular use of dental floss are also important. However, all these care measures can only provide partial dental care, even if they are carried out correctly. Over time, bacteria and plaque accumulate both on the teeth and especially in the spaces between the teeth and the gum edges. Food scraps can get stuck in the gaps, even with exemplary home care. This not only leads to discolored teeth and bad breath, but is also a major cause of periodontal disease and tooth decay. The long-term consequences of such plaque that is not removed has now been scientifically well researched: it can pose a significant risk to oral and general health.

So if you want 100 percent care for your teeth, you should have your teeth cleaned professionally by a specialist on a regular basis. Such prophylaxis can also be effective against plaque that is difficult to remove and is therefore an important factor in medical care. Over the past few years, awareness of the importance of this prophylaxis has shifted, both among patients and dentists. Therefore, an increasing number of people want to take advantage of professional teeth cleaning and also make sure that the treatment is performed on a regular basis.

In our practices in Landstuhl and Kaiserslautern, professional dental cleanings are performed exclusively by dental hygienists specifically trained for this purpose. To do this, the first step is to thoroughly examine the mouth and throat and determine the individual susceptibility to caries. If necessary, a dental probe is used to determine the existence of periodontitis or to examine the depth of periodontal pockets. Depending on the result of the examination, prophylaxis is carried out as follows:

• Full mouth disinfection
• Ultrasonic cleaning
• Manual removal of the remaining plaque and tartar
• Two-stage airflow polish
• Application of a protective varnish (fluoride gel that strengthens tooth enamel)
• Sealing of the tooth surface

If desired, this treatment can be followed by personal advice on optimal dental care at home.

Professional teeth cleaning usually only takes an hour. However, the exact duration of treatment depends on the stubbornness of the discoloration, the number of teeth present, the characteristics of any dental prosthesis or a fixed orthodontic appliance. If prophylaxis is carried out regularly, the duration of treatment is usually reduced. We recommend our patients with healthy teeth to have their teeth professionally cleaned once every six months. However, if there are pre-existing conditions such as periodontitis, we usually recommend a shorter treatment interval.

Professional tooth cleaning is not only perfectly safe for patients with individual implants or extensive dental prostheses, but absolutely indispensable. 

In our practices, we place great emphasis on holistic approaches – we always consider the patient as a whole and the teeth as an important element of their overall medical health. Prophylaxis is an important component of general health care and is therefore always recommended by us. Various scientific studies show that certain bacteria found in dental plaque can also reach the rest of the body via the bloodstream. This increases the risk of stroke, heart attack, infections of all kinds, premature birth and rheumatoid arthritis, among other things. However, many of these microbes can only be removed by professional teeth cleaning. The teeth cleanings we carry out only use substances that are also safe to use from a holistic point of view.

Many diseases are triggered by microbes that infect the body via the respiratory tract. The mouth and throat are one of the body’s key barriers against such invaders – including the COVID-19 virus. However, if there are inflammations such as periodontitis in the mouth area, they resemble an open wound: they are gateways for any pathogen. Regular prophylaxis can help with such inflammatory areas and thus prevent various infections. Therefore, professional tooth cleaning is also an important preventive protection against the coronavirus, as current scientific studies show. For example, Prof. Frankenberger (German Society for Dental, Oral and Maxillofacial Medicine, DGZMK for short) confirms: “I can only strongly advise all patients not to neglect their dental visits and prophylaxis.”

Professional tooth cleaning is a dental prophylaxis service. This means that the costs are not covered by statutory health insurance and the treatment is therefore a self-payment service. The situation is different for children up to the age of 18: Here, the statutory health insurance companies cover the costs of one individual prophylaxis twice a year.

If you are privately insured, the cost coverage depends on your individual insurance plan. Many private health insurance companies reimburse the full price of professional dental prophylaxis.

It is important to remember that regular professional dental cleaning can eliminate many high costs due to lack of care in the long run. Even for self-payers, this prophylaxis is therefore often significantly less expensive than any subsequent costs due to tooth damage or dental prostheses damage.

Incidentally, the TRICARE health care program for members of the US military pays the full cost of professional dental cleanings.