A dental cleaning (a scale and polish) involves removing plaque (soft, sticky, bacteria infested film) and tartar (calculus) deposits that have built up on your teeth over time.
Our dental hygienist or dentist will use specialized instruments to gently remove these deposits without harming your teeth.
What follows is a list of the instruments we use during your cleaning and how they are going to feel for you.
Ultrasonic instrument
This instrument uses tickling vibrations to knock larger pieces of tartar loose. It will spray a cooling mist of water while it works to wash away debris and keep the area at a proper temperature. Typically, it emits a humming or high pitched whistling sound which may seem louder than it actually is because the sound may get amplified inside your head, just as an electric toothbrush does when you use one.
The ultrasonic instrument tips are curved and rounded and are always kept in motion around your teeth. They are not sharp since their purpose is to knock tartar loose and not to cut into your teeth. Make sure to tell us if the sensations are too strong or ticklish so that we can adjust the setting appropriately on the device or modify the pressure applied.
It is important that you note that the longer you leave it between cleanings, the longer the process. Just like those dirty dishes that you left on the sink to wash later, deposits will have hardened and will be more difficult to remove.
Fine Hand Tools
Once the larger pieces of tartar are gone from your teeth, we will switch to finer hand tools (scalers and curettes). These will remove smaller deposits and smoothen your tooth surfaces. These instruments are curved and shaped to match the curves of your teeth. They allow smaller tartar deposits to be removed by carefully scraping them off with a gentle to moderate amount of pressure. The object of this part of the process is to get your tooth surface fully clean and smooth.
Polishing
When all the surfaces of your mouth are smooth, we may polish your teeth. Polishing is done using a slow speed handpiece with a soft rubber cup that spins on the end. Prophylaxis (prophy) paste – a special gritty toothpaste-like material – is scooped up like ice cream into the cup and spun around on your teeth to make them smooth.
Is this procedure painful?
Most people find that cleanings are completely painless, and find the sensations described above – tickling vibrations, the cooling mist of water, and the feeling of pressure during “scraping” – do not cause them discomfort. In fact, most people tell us that they enjoy cleanings and the lovely smooth feel of their teeth afterwards!
If you do find that the procedure is causing you any discomfort, be sure to let us know. Painful cleaning experiences can be caused by exposed dentine (not dangerous), or sore gum tissues.
To book your €35 check-up with scale and polish at Dental House;
Call us on
Phone: 01-5378045
Lo-Call: 1890223344
Email: hello@dentalhouse.ie
Follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/dentalhousesmile
Now Open On Dublin’s Aungier Street
And Smithfield Plaza
“Confidence in our care”
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