Dental Scaling & Polishing
Dental Scaling & Polishing
People often seek shortcuts to brighten their teeth at home. Some resort to applying soda while others try to rub the banana peel on their teeth to make them glossy. These are more like myths than home remedies and can do more harm than good to your teeth. If you want clean teeth, get it done professionally by a dentist/dental hygienist. for example, briefs his patients about the hazards of getting fooled by such remedies because he values you and your overall wellbeing.
Improper brushing and cleaning of the oral cavity can lead to a whitish soft, slimy layer (plaque) that can form on the surface (especially towards the side of the tongue) of your teeth. As poor oral hygiene continues, this layer can turn into a solid yellowish layer (calculus or tartar), leading to many dental problems such as gum disease, tooth decay, bad breath/halitosis, and other health issues.
Getting your teeth and gums cleaned by a dentist (or a dental hygienist) is called scaling and polishing. The plaque/ calculus is removed using ultrasonic scalers to break the calculus into pieces (scaling). Then, the surface of teeth is polished to remove minor stains using a rotating rubber cup or rotary brush against the surface of teeth after applying a polishing compound.
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FAQ
Frequently Ask Questions
Dental cleanings involve removing plaque (a soft, sticky layer of bacteria, food & saliva) and hard tartar (calculus) deposits that have built up on the teeth over time. Your teeth are continually bathed in saliva which contains calcium and other substances which help strengthen and protect your teeth. While this is definitely beneficial, it, unfortunately, means that we tend to get a build-up of calcium deposits on the teeth. This chalky substance will build up over time, almost like the limescale deposits at the base of your kettle. Usually, it is tooth coloured and can easily be mistaken as part of the teeth, but it can also vary from brown to black in colour.
If this tartar is allowed to build up on the teeth, it will, unfortunately, provide the right conditions for bacteria to thrive beside the gums. The purpose of cleaning and polishing is basically to leave the surfaces of the teeth beautifully clean and smooth so that bacteria are unable to stick to them and so provide you a better chance of keeping the teeth clean during your regular daily hygiene regime.
- To remove stains caused by food (coffee/tea) or tobacco.
- To remove tartar or calculus – this helps prevent gum diseases which are the main cause of gum recession, loose teeth and subsequently, tooth loss.
- To allow screening for the oral disease like decay and any cavities.
- Scaling
Specialized instruments are used to gently remove plaque and calculus deposits without harming your teeth. The ultrasonic scaler uses vibrations to loosen hardened tartar that sticks to the teeth/in between teeth. Water spray is also used to wash away the debris. There may be a high pitch buzzing sound heard from the scaler during the scaling process.
- Polishing
Polishing is usually carried out after scaling to remove stains and make your teeth feel smooth and shiny. Polishing is done with a soft rubber cup that spins. Prophylaxis paste – a special toothpaste-like material is scooped up into the cup and spun around on the teeth.
Prophyjet polishing uses a pressurized spray of air and water with sodium hydrogen carbonate powder to remove stains, plaque and soft debris from your teeth. It may taste slightly salty.
Most people find that cleanings are painless, and find the sensations described above do not cause discomfort. Many of our patients tell us they actually enjoy cleanings and love the beautifully smooth feel of their teeth afterwards! If the experience is less pleasant, this can be due to a variety of factors: exposed dentine or root surface (not dangerous, but can make cleanings a little sensitive), or infected gum tissues.
Teeth can become more yellow with age and with continuous consumption of dark staining foods like coffee, tea, red wine or tobacco.
Teeth whitening is a cosmetic dental procedure that lightens pigmentation within the teeth. Scaling and polishing is a procedure that removes dental plaque, tartar and extrinsic stains that are present on the outer surface of the teeth.
Scaling and polishing cleans your teeth, preventing and controlling the severity of gum diseases. After scaling & polishing, teeth can appear lighter if there are many stains on the outer surface of the teeth. If the intrinsic colour of teeth is very yellow, there will be no changes after teeth cleaning as the yellow colour comes from inside the tooth.
