Cleaning And Polishing
What Is Dental Scaling And Polishing?
Dental scaling is the cleaning of teeth which involves the removal of plaque (soft, sticky, bacteria-infested film), tartar (calculus) deposits and external stains (formed due to smoking and more intake of tea) that have formed over a long period of time.
If the tartar or calculus is allowed to accumulate on the teeth it will harbour bacteria that damage gums and leads to gum problems (which is one of the most common causes of teeth loss). The purpose of cleaning and polishing is basically to leave the surfaces of the teeth clean and bacteria-free.
How Is Dental Cleaning Done?
The dentist uses a specialized ultrasonic instrument to gently remove these deposits without harming the teeth.
Ultrasonic Instrument
Ultrasonic instrument uses small vibrations to knock larger pieces of tartar, It also sprays a cooling mist of water while it works to wash away debris and keep the area at a proper temperature.
Different types of tips are used for cleaning, they are by no means sharp since their purpose is to knock tartar loose and not to cut into the teeth.
With larger deposits, it can take some time to remove the hard calculus, generally, 2 sittings can be required to clean completely.
One can go for oral prophylaxis (cleaning) once in six months.
Polishing
Once all the surfaces are smooth, the dentist may polish your teeth. Polishing is done using a slow-speed handpiece with a soft rubber cup that spins on the end. Prophylaxis paste – a special gritty toothpaste-like material – is scooped up like ice cream into the cup and spun around on the teeth to make them shiny smooth.
