What is Professional Scaling and Polishing?

In medical terms, professional cleaning is also known as Prophylaxis which means: a step taken for the prevention of diseases. Scaling is used to remove tartar on the teeth which are hard to be removed by simple brushing. Polishing is used to remove stains from the teeth that have been caused by the consumption of foods like tea/coffee/red wine/tobacco etc. The aim of scaling and polishing is to keep the tooth surface clean so that bacteria do not stick to it.

Scaling and Polishing Procedure:

At Swastik Dental Care, our team of Dentists provide expert Scaling & Polishing Services. The following are the instruments used in cleaning and polishing:

Ultrasonic Instrumentation: This is the first instrument used to knock off the tartar. Its curved and rounded tip is used in motion to remove the tartar while spraying cold water to wash away debris. They are not sharp and hence they do not hurt.

Hand Instrumentation: After the removal of the relatively big pieces of deposits, hand instruments are used to scrape away the smaller deposits. Scalers and Curettes are used to remove small particles. The tooth surface gets smoothened even with the application of little pressure.

Polishing: The final step is Polishing. This is done with a motorised soft rubber cup. A special toothpaste called Prophylaxis Paste is scooped into the rubber cup and then rotated around on the teeth. This helps in removing stains and leaves the teeth sparkling and shining.

Painless or Painful

The scaling and polishing procedure is normally painless. However, in certain cases, the tooth might be sensitive and there might be some unpleasantness. Scaling and Polishing can also be carried out under local anaesthesia in which case, it takes two sittings to complete the procedure. Only side of the mouth is numbed at a time.

Teeth cleaning must be done periodically as per the advice of the Dentist in order to maintain good oral health.