Regular brushing and flossing makes up a necessary part of oral hygiene maintenance, but do these methods offer cleaning that is complete and thorough?
The truth of the matter is that regardless of how well you brush your teeth, there are some areas of the mouth that just cannot be reached by a toothbrush.
This is where a dental hygienist can play a crucial role. Dental hygienists can offer a treatment known as a Scale and Polish, which provides the teeth with complete and thorough cleaning! This process offers patients an effective way to optimise their oral hygiene. In this blog, we’ll be exploring the power of professional teeth cleaning.
What is a Scale and Polish?
Essentially, a Scale and Polish is a treatment that offers an optimal level of cleaning for your teeth. The treatment can go well beyond the limitations of regular brushing and flossing to massively boost your oral hygiene and health.
The purpose of a Scale and Polish is to optimise the oral and gum health.
What To expect At A Scale and Polish?
Well, it’s all in the name, there are two stages:
Step 1 – Using a Scaler to thoroughly clean teeth.
At a Scale and Polish, your hygienist will first use a highly advanced device to remove any plaque, tartar and debris that have built up over time. The device is known as an electric scaler and it works by vibrating at a high speed and emitting a jet of water. The scaler is able to break up and remove hard substances on your teeth, and your gum line as well as between and behind your teeth. This process allows your hygienist to accurately target those hard-to-reach spots!
The purpose of the jet of water is to ensure that debris are being washed away whilst the deep cleaning processes are being undertaken. To thoroughly clean the teeth as effectively as possible, your hygienist will use various instruments for cleaning different areas.
Once the teeth have been completely cleaned, the dentist will move on to the polishing stage!
Step 2 – Polishing the teeth
For this next stage, your hygienist will clean your teeth using a rotating pad that acts like a toothbrush. This will be combined with the use of high-quality toothpaste. Again, the hygienist will intricately target every part of your mouth to deliver the best level of cleaning possible.
The polishing stage leaves the surface of teeth smooth and stain-free. Additionally, any patches of rough texture are addressed, this provides protection against the risk of plaque formation.
Why is a Scale and Polish necessary?
Every mouth is susceptible to the build-up of plaque on teeth. Plaque contains bacteria and is converted into acid upon reacting with sugars. Though plaque can be targeted by regular brushing, in hard-to-reach areas is can have a harmful effect. The gradual build-up of plaque involves it hardening into a substance called calculus or tartar. The hardness of this substance makes it very difficult to remove through brushing alone.
However, through a Scale and Polish, such unwanted substances can be both accurately targeted and removed from the mouth. To optimise oral hygiene, Scale and Polish treatments are essential.
This treatment also enables your hygienist/dentist to identify any signs that need to be addressed whilst they carefully clean your teeth and gums.
The Benefits of a Scale and Polish
Thorough cleaning of the teeth can amount to a great deal of good for a person’s oral health as well as their overall health and wellbeing.
Goes Beyond Regular Brushing
As mentioned, even though there is tremendous benefit in regular brushing, a toothbrush remains incapable of reaching certain areas of the mouth. A Scale and Polish will leave all your teeth freshly cleaned and revitalised!
Prevents Tooth Loss and Gum Disease
Long-term, the natural build-up of plaque can have a devastating impact. Significant plaque build-up can contribute to Gum Disease as well the potential for tooth loss to occur. A Scale and Polish effectively removes plaque that has built up over time and also cleans the gum line area.
Say Goodbye to Bad Breath!
Common factors that bring about bad breath are poor dental hygiene and the build-up of plaque. With the removal of plaque comes the elimination of the bad breath producing bacteria that is contained with it. A Scale and Polish can certainly help with freshening breath!
Stain Removal
There are many foods and drinks that can induce stains. The consumption of such food and drink can lead to the creation of superficial stains that have built up over time. Amazingly, a Scale and Polish can support teeth in returning to their natural colour. This benefit can also be a great confidence booster!
Supports Overall Health
A Scale and Polish offers a patient the opportunity to have their oral health assessed in addition to their teeth being professionally cleaned. This enables any signs of Decay, Infections, Oral Cancer, and Gum Disease to be recognised. Following this, a plan of action can be determined to support a patient’s overall health.
Scale and Polish at Zenith Dental, Nottingham
At Zenith Dental, our team of experienced dentists are equipped to deliver unrivalled care and treatment outcomes across all aspects of dental care.
Patient care is a major priority to us. We always ensure that a patient’s treatment experience is as comfortable as possible. The preferences, needs and requirements of our patients are always closely considered and addressed. Also, all Zenith Dental treatments and consultations take place here at the state-of-the-art facilities within the clinic. There is no need for patients to have to commute from one location to the other!
If a Scale and Polish at Zenith Dental is something that you are interested in, please call us on 0115 959 6999.
