This is a special cleaning of your teeth, which removes calculus (tartar) and stains. This kind of cleaning is done by a dentist or a dental hygienist.

At your scale and polish appointment, our dentist will make a careful assessment of the condition of your gums. Your teeth will then be scaled, using an ultrasonic scaler which removes the calculus and the stains from your teeth. The teeth are then polished, leaving them clean and smooth. This makes it easier for you to keep them clean at home.

It is important to see your dentist regularly for scaling and polishing, but also that you brush and floss your teeth carefully every day.

If your gums are inflamed, swollen and bleed when you brush your teeth and maybe even when you eat, you most likely have gingivitis (inflammation of the gums). Gingivitis is mainly caused by inadequate oral hygiene. Maybe you do not spend enough time brushing your teeth, or you do not brush them properly. Perhaps you do not floss your teeth properly or even floss them at all.

Dental plaque is a sticky, whitish substance made up of bacteria and food debris, which is built up on your teeth and the gum margin. The different bacteria in the dental plaque release toxins which irritate the gingiva (gums). The longer dental plaque is left on the teeth, the harder it becomes, due to continuous accumulation of minerals from the saliva into the dental plaque. Already after 24 hours, some dental plaque will be hardened into calculus (tartar). You cannot remove tartar just by brushing or flossing your teeth, but a dentist or dental hygienist can remove it. This procedure is called scaling. The scaling and polishing removes calculus and stains from for example, coffee, tea, cigarettes or red wine and it makes it more difficult for plaque to stick to your teeth again, as the teeth are all smooth afterwards.

Ultrasonic scaler

An ultrasonic scaler is an electronic instrument which transmits high-frequency vibrations (from 25,000 to 40,000 cycles per second) to a small metallic tip inserted into a hand piece. With this instrument hard deposits (calculus) can easily be removed from the surface of a tooth.