“Does dental cleaning damage enamel?”
I am a 30 year old female. I want to know if dental cleaning damages enamel?
5 Answers
Hello,
A regular dental cleaning does not usually damage enamel. There would normally have to be something wrong with the enamel (possibly deminerialized or have a cavity underlying the enamel) for your enamel to get damaged during a routine cleaning. A deep cleaning involves going below the gum lines and cleaning where the enamel means the rest of the tooth (referred to as the cementum-enamel juction), which is an area where it is weak. Sometimes this juction even has a gap; so theoretically, a small amount of enamel can break off during a deep cleaning. This is very unlikely and usually causes no harm.
Hope this helps.
My best to you!
William F. Scott IV, DMD
A regular dental cleaning does not usually damage enamel. There would normally have to be something wrong with the enamel (possibly deminerialized or have a cavity underlying the enamel) for your enamel to get damaged during a routine cleaning. A deep cleaning involves going below the gum lines and cleaning where the enamel means the rest of the tooth (referred to as the cementum-enamel juction), which is an area where it is weak. Sometimes this juction even has a gap; so theoretically, a small amount of enamel can break off during a deep cleaning. This is very unlikely and usually causes no harm.
Hope this helps.
My best to you!
William F. Scott IV, DMD