Last updated: November 2026 Short answer: A professional teeth cleaning follows a set order: a health and gum check, scaling to remove plaque and tartar, polishing, and often fluoride. The dentist then examines your teeth and gums, sometimes with digital imaging for a closer look. How soon you come back depends on what that exam finds. The order of a cleaning looks like this: A quick health and gum check. Scaling, where a hygienist removes plaque and tartar a toothbrush can’t reach. Polishing the surfaces, often finished with fluoride. An exam by the dentist, sometimes with digital imaging if the dentist wants a closer look at a tooth or the bone beneath it. That way, the mouth gets checked in more than one way before you leave. Knowing the order helps more than it sounds like it should. Patients who understand why the hygienist asks about medications before picking up a scaler tend to feel less rushed. The same goes for understanding why the dentist looks at x-rays after the cleaning instead of before. They also ask better questions during the visit. A teeth cleaning is one of the most routine dental visits there is. It’s also the appointment where small problems, a cracked filling or an area of early decay, usually get caught first. New patients in Heber City, Midway, Charleston, Francis, Park City and Kamas can see what a first visit involves on the New Patients page. They can schedule one there too. A Review Sets the Plan Before Any Tool Touches Your Teeth Every cleaning starts with a review, not a tool. Before any scaling begins, the hygienist reviews your health history and takes a visual look at your gums. This isn’t a formality. Several things can change how the gums respond to cleaning: Medications Recent surgeries Pregnancy Conditions like diabetes A hygienist who knows about them ahead of time adjusts pressure and technique accordingly, rather than finding out partway through the appointment. The gum check itself usually involves a periodontal probe, a thin instrument that measures the depth of the space between tooth and gum. The hygienist checks several points around each tooth. Deeper pockets or bleeding on probing tell the hygienist where tartar has likely built up beneath the gumline. That information shapes the scaling that follows, so nothing about the appointment moves forward until this picture is complete. Scaling Clears Away What a Toothbrush Cannot Scaling removes tartar, which is plaque that has hardened onto the tooth surface and can no longer be brushed or flossed away on its own. A hygienist uses hand instruments, an ultrasonic scaler, or both. The work focuses on the gumline and the small gaps between teeth, where tartar tends to collect first. This step matters because gum disease is common rather than rare. About 2 in 5 adults age 30 and older have some form of periodontal disease, according to the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research. Tartar left sitting at the gumline is one of the main drivers of it. Brushing at home cleans the visible surfaces of the teeth. Scaling reaches the gumline as well, and that is what separates a professional cleaning from brushing. Polishing and a Fluoride Step Finish the Clinical Work Polishing uses a gritty paste and a slow speed handpiece. This smooths the enamel and removes surface stain that built up from coffee, tea or everyday eating. A smoother surface holds less plaque between visits, which is part of why this step is routine rather than optional. Many cleanings end with a fluoride treatment: a gel, foam or varnish applied directly to the teeth for a short period. It’s a quick step, usually a minute or two. It closes out the hands-on portion of the appointment before the dentist comes in. A Dentist’s Exam Closes Out the Visit The dentist examines the teeth and gums directly, checking for decay, cracks, wear and any changes since the last visit. Dr. A.J. Proctor or Dr. Nathan Tanner typically handles this part of the appointment. This is where a cleaning becomes a full check of your mouth. When something needs a closer look, the practice uses digital x-rays or cone beam CT for 3D imaging. This avoids guessing from a visual exam alone. Both are among the services described on the services page. How Often to Come Back Depends on What the Exam Finds The commonly used starting point is once or twice a year, and the right interval is not the same for every patient. It depends on: How your gums measured How much tartar had built up Whether there is any active decay or a history of gum disease Patients with healthy gums and no active decay are often fine on a longer interval. Patients with a history of gum disease, or the early pocket depths that showed up during the gum check, are usually brought back sooner. The dentist sets that schedule at the end of the exam, not before it, once the whole picture is in. How Smiles By Design Handles Each Step Smiles By Design has staff who speak English and Spanish. The office also has a comfort setup with TVs, headphones and blankets during the appointment, and a dentist, Dr. Proctor or Dr. Tanner, who reviews the exam findings with you directly. Patients from Heber City, Wallsburg, Orem, Provo and Salt Lake City travel to the Gateway Drive office for this same routine. The practice treats the review, scaling, polishing and exam as one connected appointment, not something to rush through. More about the team doing the work is on the About Us page. Frequently Asked Questions Why Does the Hygienist Ask About My Medications? Medications, recent surgeries, pregnancy and conditions like diabetes can change how your gums respond to cleaning. Knowing ahead of time lets the hygienist adjust pressure and technique. What Is Tartar, and Why Can’t I Brush It Off? Tartar is plaque that has hardened onto the tooth surface. Once it hardens, brushing and flossing can no longer remove it, so a hygienist scales it away with hand instruments, an ultrasonic scaler, or both. How Often Should I Get My Teeth Cleaned? Once or twice a year is the common starting point. Your dentist sets your own interval after the exam, based on how your gums measured, how much tartar had built up, and whether there is decay or a history of gum disease. Will I Need X-Rays at My Cleaning? Some visits include digital imaging. When the dentist wants a closer look at a tooth or the bone beneath it, the practice uses digital x-rays or cone beam CT. Getting a Cleaning on the Calendar If it has been a while since your last cleaning, the gum check at the start of the visit is the part worth paying attention to. Ask the hygienist what your pocket depths were, and ask the dentist when they want to see you next. New patients can see what the first visit involves at Smiles By Design in Heber City on the New Patients page. They can book an appointment there as well.