Do I still need professional cleanings if I use an electric toothbrush?

Yes. Good home care controls daily plaque, but once plaque hardens into tartar, no toothbrush removes it. That requires professional instruments and trained hands.

What are units of scaling on my dental insurance statement?

A unit of scaling is approximately fifteen minutes of hands-on removal of hardened tartar. A straightforward cleaning may use one or two units, while heavier buildup or gum disease may require more. Ontario dental plans typically cover a set number of scaling units per year.

Teeth Cleaning in Toronto’s Distillery District

Q: How often should I get a professional teeth cleaning?

For most people, every six months. That rhythm keeps tartar from accumulating and allows early detection of problems twice a year. Patients managing gum disease or who build tartar quickly may be advised to come more frequently.

Q: Is a teeth cleaning covered by insurance in Toronto?

Cleanings are preventive care, which insurance plans and the Canadian Dental Care Plan typically cover at their most generous rates, often covering most or all of the visit. Coverage is confirmed before your appointment and any remainder explained in advance.

The ritual that prevents almost everything else. Thorough, gentle professional cleanings that leave your teeth genuinely clean — and catch small problems while they’re still small.

Due for a cleaning?

The honest checklist:

It’s been six months or more since your last professional cleaning
Your gums bleed when you brush or floss — common, and worth addressing, but not normal
You can feel or see buildup along the gumline that brushing won’t budge
Coffee, wine, or tea have left their signatures
It’s been years, and you’d like a fresh start without a lecture — that we can promise

What happens at a cleaning here

More than a polish. We remove the plaque and tartar your toothbrush can’t — especially the hardened deposits along and beneath the gumline that only professional instruments can lift — then polish away surface stains and finish with teeth that feel like a fresh start. Cleanings pair naturally with your checkup: an exam, X-rays when needed, and an oral cancer screening, so nothing quietly develops between visits.

And it’s genuinely gentle. If cleanings have felt rough elsewhere, or your gums are sensitive, say so — we adjust pace and technique, and nitrous oxide is available even for hygiene visits. Anxiety doesn’t check the procedure list.

Coverage in Ontario

Here’s the thing worth understanding about cleanings in Ontario: your insurance statement splits them into two parts — scaling and polishing — and scaling is billed in units, each representing about fifteen minutes of hands-on work. Most plans cover a set number of scaling units per year, often somewhere between six and twelve, and that allowance is the single most useful number to know about your dental coverage.

We track your remaining units for you and tell you before a visit if we expect to exceed them, so nothing lands on a bill unannounced. Cleanings fall under preventive care, which Ontario plans reimburse more generously than almost anything else, and most reimburse in line with standard Ontario dental plan guidelines. Patients with the Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP) and the Interim Federal Health Program (IFHP) have scaling and polishing among their covered services, subject to program rules. Details on insurance options and payment options.

Straight answers about teeth cleaning

How often should I get a professional teeth cleaning?

For most people, every six months — that rhythm keeps tartar from accumulating and gives us two chances a year to catch problems early. If you’re managing gum disease or build tartar quickly, we may recommend more frequent visits for a while; if your mouth runs boringly healthy, we’ll say that too. The schedule serves your mouth, not our calendar.

Is a teeth cleaning covered by insurance in Toronto?

Here’s the encouraging part: cleanings are preventive care, which insurance plans and the CDCP typically cover at their most generous rates — often most or all of the visit. We’ll confirm your coverage before you’re in the chair and give you a clear picture of any remainder. Details on our insurance page.

What’s the difference between teeth cleaning and teeth whitening?

Cleaning is health care: removing plaque, tartar, and surface stains so your teeth and gums stay well — and teeth often look brighter afterward simply because they’re actually clean. Whitening is cosmetic: lightening the shade of the teeth themselves. They’re teammates, not rivals — and if you’re considering whitening, a cleaning first gives it a proper canvas.

I have a great electric toothbrush — do I still need professional cleanings?

Yes — and keep using the toothbrush; good home care is half the equation. But once plaque hardens into tartar (which starts within days), no toothbrush on the market removes it — that takes professional instruments and trained hands. Think of it as a partnership: your brushing controls the daily layer, our cleanings reset the parts brushing can’t reach.

What are “units of scaling” on my insurance statement?

A unit is roughly fifteen minutes of scaling — the hands-on removal of hardened tartar. A straightforward cleaning might use one or two units; someone with heavier buildup or gum disease may need more. Your plan covers a set number per year, and we’ll tell you where you stand before we start rather than after.

Related care

Cleanings are the front door to everything else: they catch the cavities that become fillings, prep the canvas for whitening, and pair with nitrous for nervous visits. Browse all general dentistry at the studio.

Six months or six years — same welcome

Book a cleaning at our Distillery District studio. Fresh start, no lectures, teeth that feel like new — and a team that would honestly rather see you twice a year for this than once a year for something bigger.

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