Ultrasonic Dental Cleaning
Ultrasonic Dental Cleaning
You’ve probably experienced a dental exam where the dentist spends time scraping away at your teeth. It’s called dental scaling and root planing, and it’s necessary for most patients to keep their teeth and gums healthy.
In the past, scaling was done by hand — and it’s still a common procedure in dentistry today. Performed with a metal instrument known as a scaler, your dentist scrapes your teeth and under your gums to remove what your toothbrush might have missed.
But now there’s an easier way for your dentist to give you a gleaming smile! Ultrasonic dental cleaning is available to remove more dental tartar in less time, with no metal scraping!
During ultrasonic dental cleaning, the dentist uses an instrument called an ultrasonic scaler. The ultrasonic scaler distributes ultrasonic vibrations to literally blast dental tartar, or dental calculus, off of your teeth! As the ultrasonic scaler vibrates, it produces sound waves to break apart stubborn calculus. Water flows out of the tip’s end to wash away debris and keep the scaler from overheating. Although you won’t feel the vibrations or hear the sound waves, you’ll most likely notice that your teeth feel cleaner. And your dentist will have significantly reduced the amount of dental plaque bacteria that causes most dental diseases.
You have a large buildup of dental tartar. Over time, the bacteria and dental plaque in your mouth form hard deposits of calculus, leading to tooth decay if left untreated. Unfortunately, your toothbrush isn’t going to help — only a dentist or dental hygienist can remove calculus from your teeth.