Check-ups and cleanings

Everything expensive in dentistry starts as something small that a check-up would have caught. That's the entire business case for this page: a check-up and cleaning is a short, mostly comfortable visit that finds problems while they're still cheap and removes the build-up your toothbrush can't.

At VitalDent, your check-up and your cleaning are done by the dentist. The same person examining your teeth is the one cleaning them, which means nothing gets seen by one person and lost in translation to another.

What actually happens

The examination: the dentist looks at every tooth and every existing filling and crown, checks your gums for the bleeding and pocketing that signal gum disease, and looks at the soft tissues (tongue, cheeks, palate) for anything that shouldn't be there. X-rays are taken when there's a reason for them, not as a reflex; they show the places no eye can reach, like decay between teeth and under old fillings.

The cleaning, the scale and polish: scaling removes tartar, the hardened build-up that forms when plaque is left in place and that no toothbrush can remove, using an instrument that vibrates it off the teeth, above and just below the gumline. Polishing then smooths the tooth surfaces so new plaque struggles to grip, and takes surface stains from coffee and tea along with it.

The talking: what we found, what (if anything) needs doing, in what order, and what it will cost. If nothing needs doing, that's the report: "see you in six months" is a result we're pleased to give.

How often?

Six-monthly suits most people, and it's the rhythm most medical aids fund. It's not a law of nature: some mouths (heavy tartar formers, smokers, patients with gum disease under treatment, some children) do better on shorter gaps for a while, and a genuinely stable mouth can sometimes stretch longer. Your dentist will tell you which you are and why, and revisit it as things change.

If it's been years rather than months, the answer is simpler: now, and without dread. We don't scold, and a long gap doesn't automatically mean bad news. It means we look, we tell you honestly where things stand, and we make a plan sized to reality. If walking in is the hard part, the nervous patients page is honest about how we handle that.

Does a cleaning hurt?

Mostly no. You'll feel scraping, vibration and cold water: odd, not painful. Two honest exceptions. If your gums are inflamed, they may bleed and feel tender during cleaning: the bleeding is the gum disease showing itself, not an injury from the instrument, and it improves with every cleaning as the gums heal. And if there's heavy build-up below the gumline, cleaning goes deeper and can be more uncomfortable, in which case we can numb the area; you only need to ask, and it's fine to ask us to pause at any point.

Teeth can also feel briefly sensitive after a thorough scaling, especially to cold, as freshly uncovered surfaces get used to the world again. It settles within days. If your teeth are sensitive at the best of times, say so before we start. See also sensitive teeth.

The money question

A check-up and clean is among the least expensive visits in dentistry, and most medical aids cover it as preventive care. Many plans specifically fund the six-monthly rhythm. Bring your medical aid details and we'll help you work out what your plan is likely to cover, so the money conversation happens before the chair, not after it. If anything beyond the standard visit is needed (a filling, an X-ray series), you'll know the cost before we do it.

Booking is direct into a dentist's diary: you pick a real open slot online, not a "we'll call you back" form.

Frequently asked questions

How long does a check-up and cleaning take?

Plan for around half an hour, a little longer if it's been years or there's heavy build-up. It's the shortest appointment on this site.

Who does the cleaning at VitalDent?

Your dentist: Dr Steyn or Dr Khoza. The examination and the cleaning happen in the same chair in the same visit.

My gums bleed when I brush. Should I still come for a cleaning?

Especially then. Bleeding gums are the most common early sign of gum disease, and a professional cleaning is the start of fixing it. Read the gum disease page and then book.

Will a cleaning make my teeth white?

It removes surface stains (coffee, tea, tobacco), so teeth often look noticeably fresher. It doesn't change the underlying shade of the tooth; that's whitening, a separate thing, and we'll tell you honestly which one would give you the result you're picturing.

Is scaling bad for my teeth? It feels like a lot of scraping.

No. Scaling removes tartar from the tooth surface; it doesn't shave the tooth. The rough patches people feel afterwards with their tongue are usually the places where tartar used to be.