What is a scale and polish?
A scale and polish is a common dental procedure aimed at cleaning your teeth and gums thoroughly. It's often performed by a dental hygienist and the goal is to remove any build-up of plaque and calculus from your teeth and help prevent gum disease, tooth decay and other oral diseases.
What does a scale and polish involve?
Scaling
Plaque is a sticky film of bacteria that forms on your teeth every day, and if it's not removed, it can harden into calculus.
You can't get rid of calculus at home with your toothbrush, so you will need to go for a scale and polish to get rid of it.
The first part of a scale and polish procedure is called ‘scaling’, where the dentist or hygienist uses special instruments (scalers) to remove plaque and calculus from your teeth. These instruments can be hand-powered or ultrasonic.
Scaling can also reach below the gumline, targeting areas that are difficult to clean with regular brushing and flossing.
Polishing
After scaling, your teeth are then polished. This involves using a high-speed brush and a gritty toothpaste-like material to make your teeth shiny and smooth. Polishing helps remove any surface stains on your teeth, making them appear brighter and feel smoother.
Airflow
A newer method of cleaning teeth called ‘airflow’ is becoming more and more popular. Airflow treatment involves the use of a special machine that uses fine sand-like particles to clean your teeth and polish them to a shiny finish.
Many dental practices will offer airflow treatment as an add-on to a routine hygienist appointment.
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Scale and Polish FAQs
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A scale and polish procedure cleans your teeth and gums and helps you prevent gum disease by removing plaque and calculus that you can not get to by yourself at home.
It will also remove staining from the surfaces of your teeth.
The process will freshen your smile and also keep yur teeth for longer
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On the NHS you may receive a quick scale and polish after your check-up by a dentist which will take 5-10 minutes.
In private practices, this is normally crried out by a hygienist seperately and the appointment will last 30-60 minutes depending on how long they need with you.
A hygienist appointment will usually invlude other services like toothbrushing instructions, oral healh coaching and the cleaning will be much more thorough.
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You can eat and drink immediately after a scale and polish as long as you didn’t require any anaesthetic for your procedure.
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Everyone’s requirements are different and your hygienist will inform you what’s best for you. But, in general, you should get a scale and polish done every 3 or 6 months.