Do you feel anxious whenever you have a dental appointment? Does that anxiety morph into outright fear when you know that the appointment includes a procedure that likely involves some level of discomfort? Has this anxiety and/or fear ever led you to avoid scheduling a dental appointment, or even to cancel an upcoming appointment?

Over the past decade, “occlusion” has emerged as an important component of dentistry. In fact, many dentists now consider healthy occlusion to be as important to the maintenance of dental health as preventing tooth decay and/or gum disease. Some dentists even believe that occlusion should serve as the underlying base for all dental treatment in general.

Everyone knows that having your teeth professionally cleaned at the dentist’s office is a regular part of life. But have you ever wondered—perhaps while reclined in that dental chair—exactly what the dental hygienist or dentist might be doing during the different steps in the cleaning process?