Twice daily brushing and daily flossing is vital for good oral health. However, it cannot remove stubborn or hardened debris from your teeth. Professional scaling and polishing removes external stains, dental plaque and tartar from your teeth while simultaneously polishing tooth surfaces.
Scaling
Plaque is found on tooth surfaces. It is a soft, sticky film of bacteria which ranges from colorless to pale yellow in appearance. When plaque is not removed, it will harden into tartar within 24 to 72 hours. Tartar forms above and below the gum line, eventually leading to gum disease. Strongly bonded to teeth, tartar is impossible to remove by brushing or flossing. It can only be removed by a dental professional. We prefer to use ultrasonic scalers which use ultrasonic vibrations to gently remove calculus deposits from teeth gently and more effectively. Hand scalers can be used to manually scale teeth in small children and nervous adults.
Polishing
Airflow™ is a premium Swiss-made teeth cleaning system. It uses air, water and sodium bicarbonate powder to thoroughly cleanse and polish your pearly whites. It is our preferred method of polishing teeth because it:
- Cleans more thoroughly
- Is less abrasive
- Cleans off plaque and stains quickly and painlessly – even for areas which are difficult to reach!
Conventional cup polishing is an alternative method for polishing teeth. It uses a rotary rubber cup and a paste to polish your teeth. In view of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, we have temporarily switched to using conventional cup polishing as our default method. This is in order to reduce aerosol generation.
How Often Should I Go for Teeth Cleaning?
Most dentists recommend regular teeth cleaning at least every 6 months to prevent tooth decay, gum disease and bad breath.
Some people are at higher risk of oral hygiene issues. Diabetics, smokers, and braces patients are all more susceptible to tooth decay, gum disease and other dental problems. Orthodontic braces trap food easily, making their wearers especially prone to developing plaque, tartar and dental cavities. For at risk populations, experts recommend professional cleans every 4 months to maintain good oral health.
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