What Happens During a ‘Scale and Polish’ at The Dental Centre Bedford?

Posted on Posted in Hygienist

A closer look at this important dental hygiene procedure.

Most of our Bedford dental patients who visit the hygienist at our practice, will have had a ‘scale and polish’ procedure a number of times.

Although this may not appear to be as sophisticated a procedure as some dental treatments, it does, nonetheless, play a very important role in keeping your mouth healthy.

Gum disease is a serious threat to oral health, and one that is often underestimated by the general public. Whilst good advice and home cleaning is essential for strong and healthy teeth and gums, the scale and polish procedure offers a useful additional barrier to the onset and advance of gum disease.

Scale and Polish procedure

So, what is a scale and polish procedure?  Essentially it is a thorough professional clean that is carried out by the hygienist here at our Bedford dentists. However well we brush and floss our teeth at home, there will always be hard to reach areas where calculus (hardened bacteria) will form.

In order to remove this hardened deposit, a scale and polish procedure is necessary. There are typically three parts to this; hand scaling, ultrasonic cleaning and professional brushing/polishing.

Hand scaling

This is the part of the procedure that some patients don’t like. It involves the use of hand tools to remove stubborn bacteria. Some patients rename the procedure the ‘scrape and polish’ as the tools, in effect, scrape the calculus from the teeth. This is not an uncomfortable procedure but can feel a little strange, especially in the area between the teeth. It is though, an excellent way of removing hardened deposits which can lead to gum problems.

Ultrasonic cleaning

To remove the rest of the bacteria, a specialist tool is used which uses ultrasonic waves to shatter the hardened material. This vibrates at very high speeds and also uses jets of water to wash away the bacteria as it is removed. This part of the procedure should cause no discomfort at all.

Professional brushing

Finally, to help to remove any remaining traces of hardened bacteria and deposits and to give your teeth an improved shine, a high speed dental brush is used. Some patients of our Bedford practice even see the hygienist more frequently than the usual six month recommendation, simply because they appreciate an overall cleaner mouth and the removal of surface staining which can leave the teeth looking slightly whiter. It should be noted that this will only partially help to whiten your teeth and if you are serious about having a considerably whiter smile, then our teeth whitening procedure should be considered.

By attending our Bedford hygienist sessions regularly, and following any advice that we offer, you should be at much lower risk of developing gum disease and have a much cleaner and fresher mouth too.

For more information about improving your oral hygiene, please call The Dental Centre Bedford today on 01234 819868.