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Dental hygiene is vital to good oral health. In particular, a dental hygienist can help identify and treat early signs of gum disease. The scale and polish is part of how they do this.
Visiting a dental hygienist
It is generally recommended that you visit a dentist Bournemouth such as https://gentledentistry.co.uk/ every six months, to check for potential issues and correct minor problems. You can visit the hygienist on the same schedule.
They can advise on preventative steps to protect your gums, such as the best toothpaste or floss types, before performing a non-invasive scale and polish as a deep clean
Stages of a scale and polish
Manual tartar/plaque removal
The majority of tartar built up around your teeth and gums is scraped away with a hooked tool that can be worked between your teeth to reach anything caught there. It may pull, but is usually not painful.
Sonic cleaning
For tartar that cannot be removed manually, a sonic scaler is used. This employs soundwaves to break apart the tartar so it can be sucked up in a water vacuum. Again, there should be no pain.
Polish
Your teeth are cleaned with a specialised brush and paste to remove any remaining traces of tartar or other contaminants, as well as tackling some surface stains so your teeth look whiter as well as feeling smoother.
You may not enjoy a dental scale and polish, but if you care about the health of your teeth and gums, it is essential that you visit the dental hygienist regularly.
