There are a number of things that only your dentist can do at his or her surgery. Procedures like root canal treatment and the fitting of braces are obvious but dentists can also contribute to the cleaning of teeth by using a special process that can only be carried out at the surgery. It is called scaling and polishing and it leaves you with that ‘dentist clean’ feeling in your mouth.
The aim of scaling and polishing is to removed tartar from the teeth and make the teeth less likely to accommodate plaque in the near future. Tartar is basically plaque that has built up to point where it has hardened into a substance that is extremely difficult to remove with home oral care. Brushing alone is not sufficient to remove tartar from the teeth.
The scaling part of scaling and polishing is when the tartar is removed from the teeth using special things like hooks that scrape the tartar from teeth. Then the dentist administers the polishing which makes the surfaces of teeth smoother. Plaque needs a slightly rough surface on which to cling easily and if your dentist can be smoothed by the dentist polishing them then plaque will find it more difficult to stick to teeth.
Your teeth will instantly feel cleaner and you can rest assured in the knowledge that plaque will find it more difficult to find a foot hold in your mouth for a short time at least. The process is a quick and dentists in the City of Leeds usually carry it out as part of the six months check up that you will go to twice a year.
Tags: scaling and polishing, tartar
