You brush, you floss, and you visit your dentist twice a year. But no matter how diligent you are with your oral hygiene, your teeth will still build up plaque and tartar over time. That’s where dental scaling and polishing come in—a professional deep-cleaning dental procedure that keeps your smile healthy, fresh, and free from hidden trouble.
Think of it as a spa day for your teeth. Scaling and polishing remove unwanted buildup, give your tooth surfaces a smooth finish, and help prevent bigger dental issues down the road. Here's a breakdown of how it works and why it's essential for your oral health/dental health.
Dental plaque (a soft, sticky film of bacteria) and tartar (hardened calcified plaque) love to set up camp on your teeth, especially in those hard-to-reach areas. Once tartar forms, it’s like cement—you can’t just brush it away. This is where scaling comes in.
Using ultrasonic scalers and manual hand scalers, your dentist or hygienist scrapes off these deposits from the surfaces of your teeth and along the gum line. If needed, they’ll even go slightly below the gums to remove tartar lurking beneath. Yes, it might sound intense, but don’t worry—it’s usually painless. At worst, you might feel some mild discomfort if your gums are inflamed (which is a sign you really needed this treatment).
Scaling does a lot for your oral health. It helps:
Once the heavy-duty ultrasonic cleaning is done, it’s time for the fun part: polishing! Your dentist will use a rotating rubber cup or brush with a special gritty polishing paste to buff away surface stains and smooth out your enamel.
This step doesn’t just make your teeth look brighter and shinier—it also removes microscopic plaque buildup and makes it harder for new deposits to stick. Think of it like waxing your car after a good wash, with a soft rubber cup.
The polishing procedure offers some key benefits:
At Dental Designs Clinic, we perform standard scaling and polishing process using gentle ultrasonic scalers for an effective and comfortable experience. Besides the ultrasonic instruments, we also offer Airflow cleaning, where a pressurised jet is used to efficiently remove stubborn stains. Additionally, our Guided Biofilm Therapy (GBT) procedure is particularly beneficial for individuals with sensitive teeth. Guided Biofilm Therapy involves using a special dye to identify problem areas, allowing for a thorough cleaning.
Some dentists finish off with a fluoride treatment, which strengthens your enamel and helps prevent cavities, thereby improving your dental health. It’s like a protective top coat for your teeth. Plus, it comes in fun flavors—bubblegum and mint.
The fluoride treatment is not always needed but it can be useful to supplement your mineral reserve in your plaque film. If you are prone to tooth decay (cavities), this will be strongly recommended.
Fluoride is available in various forms and each one helps in its own way. Common forms include fluoride toothpaste, fluoride gel, and fluoride varnish. Let's look at the comparison between them below.
|
|
Toothpaste |
Fluoride Gel |
Fluoride Varnish |
|
Fluoride Concentration |
1,000 - 1,500 ppm |
12,300 ppm |
22,600 ppm |
|
Form |
Paste or gel |
Gel |
Viscous varnish |
|
Fluoride Absorption |
Moderate |
High |
Very high (slow release over time) |
|
Recommended For |
General use, cavity prevention |
Moderate-risk patients |
High-risk patients |
|
Who Applies It |
Self-applied |
Dental professional at a dental clinic |
Dental professional at a dental clinic |
|
Usage Frequency |
Daily |
Every 3-6 months |
Every 3-6 months |
For most people (for those with healthy teeth), every six months is ideal. If you have gum disease, heavy tartar buildup, or braces, your dentist might recommend it more frequently. The patients with gum disease may require frequent three-monthly scaling and polishing, while others that only require yearly visits.
If you are prone to stubborn stains, you may want to have more regular polishing without the need for the heavy-duty tartar buildup-up. If you like to whiten your teeth regularly, it is advised to get a scaling a polishing just before you start or maintain your teeth whitening regimen.
The better you maintain your own oral condition with regular brushing and flossing, the less frequent we will need to have the professional dental scaling and polishing. This article will explain more on how often to get scaling and polishing done.
Dental scaling and polishing can be performed by either a dental hygienist or a dentist. Click here to read more about our team of dental professionals!
Skipping scaling and polishing is like skipping oil changes for your car—it might seem fine at first, but eventually, you’ll run into problems. This simple, painless dental cleaning procedure is one of the ways to maintain your oral hygiene, that is to keep your gums healthy, your breath fresh, and your teeth looking good.
So, the next time your dentist suggests a professional teeth scaling and polishing session, think of it as self-care for your smile. And really, who doesn’t love that just-cleaned teeth feeling? I certainly do.
Ready to book your appointment for a regular scaling and polishing? Simply leave us a message here and we will be right with you!
Dr. Bernard Siew is a Malaysian-born Australian who grew up in Adelaide, South Australia, and has spent the past 25 years practicing dentistry in Singapore.
Dr. Siew focus is in family, restorative, and reconstructive dentistry with a passion in combining function and aesthetics. Over the last decade, he has focused on preventive and conservative dental care, including published research on remineralising agents to prevent dental disease. He is also the only practicing dentist in the international Hydroxyapatite Research Group.
Dr. Siew emphasizes personalized care, helping patients integrate effective habits and routines into their daily oral health regimen. He believes that a healthy mouth reflects overall well-being. He offers a full range of dental treatments, from oral assessments and dental fillings to dental implants and dentures.