I just got back from visiting a new dentist and I think I have seen the future of dentistry.

Instead of using the traditional high-speed rubber cup and paste method for cleaning, and a flossing afterwards, all he used was a new device called a Prophy-Jet.

Think of it as a power-washer for your mouth. A slurry of water and flavored baking soda is accelerated out of the tip by a strong jet of air. The baking soda is used as an abrasive to remove plaque and stains. My teeth are actually a little bit whiter now! It does such a great job of getting between teeth he does not do the normal flossing either.

He would do maybe a section of about three teeth and then the assistant would use a suction tube to slurp out the salty baking soda slurry that accumulated in my mouth, and then he would do the next few teeth.

It was also by far the fastest 6-month cleaning I have ever had. They did all of this in about ten minutes:

1. Four bitewing x-rays
2. Probed my gums and teeth with a traditional pick
3. Used an ultrasonic scaler for just a minute or so to loosen things up a bit
4. Used the ProphyJet for maybe five minutes

No picking or scraping that seems to last forever and makes your toes curl up. My teeth also feel extremely smooth now.