Procedures
Dental cleaning
Also called prophy, prophylaxis, regular cleaning
A routine visit where a hygienist removes plaque and tartar from healthy gums and polishes the teeth.
A dental cleaning, often called a prophy, is the standard preventive visit for patients whose gums are healthy. The hygienist scrapes away plaque and hardened tartar above and slightly below the gum line, then polishes the teeth. It is usually paired with an exam and sometimes X-rays. Patients with gum disease need a deeper kind of cleaning instead, so the front desk should book the right appointment type and length from the start.
Example at the front desk
Mrs. Lee is due for her cleaning and exam, so I booked her with the hygienist for 60 minutes on Tuesday.