Lion Dental – What do dentists do during a scale and polish?

A scale and polish at our Stourbridge dental practice is a simple, non-time-consuming and painless procedure that may be a little unpleasant for some patients, but can prevent you from serious health and dental problems in the future.

People underestimate the importance of keeping their teeth healthy. According to a National Smile Month survey, a quarter of adults in the UK say they haven’t had a dental check up in over 2 years! If those people knew that having a regular dental check up could greatly reduce their chances of getting diabetes, heart disease or having a low-birth-weight baby, there is probably a good chance the number of people booking regular hygienist appointments would increase substantially. 

The conditions mentioned above can occur when gum disease is left untreated. Gum disease is the result of plaque turning into tartar and not being removed. Plaque is what occurs when you don’t manage to remove all the food deposits from your mouth through regular brushing.

Do you see how not brushing your teeth regularly can escalate into a far more serious condition, that requires more invasive treatment? Wondering how many people don’t bother to brush their teeth twice a day? Well, according to the same survey, 1 in 10 adults regularly forgets to brush his or her teeth!

Scale and polish treatment

So, what happens during a scale and polish here in Stourbridge? You will be seated comfortably in our modern, pleasant surgery area, while a dentist uses a vibrating handheld device to loosen hardened food deposits, plaque and tartar. If the device is not able to shift everything that needs to be removed, dental tools will also be used. Mist will be sprayed into the mouth to wash all the debris away. This is the scaling part of the procedure. The polishing part will follow.

If it’s an air polish, high-pressure water, and powder particles will be blasted onto your teeth. A traditional polish uses paste and a rubber spinning device. Once your scale and polish treatment is complete, the surfaces of your teeth will be smooth, stains and discolouration will be greatly reduced and your smile will be more attractive.

If you’d like a simple scale and polish to improve the appearance of your teeth and smile, as well as help, prevent more serious dental health problems, please give a member of our friendly team a call and we can schedule an appointment for you here, at Lion Dental in Stourbridge, at a time that’s mutually convenient.