The Benefits of Dental Scale and Clean

What is Dental Scale and Clean?

Dental scale and clean is a very common procedure carried out as a form of preventative medicine. In other words, it’s designed to form part of your dental hygiene with the aim of keeping your teeth clean and healthy. Dental scale and clean along with other oral hygiene measures such as brushing, flossing, healthy eating and using mouthwashes can help reduce the risk of tooth decay and gum disease. When a dentist is doing regular dental cleaning also known as prophylaxis, they are only removing tartar and calculus build-up off your teeth. The dentist is only working on the part of your tooth that can be seen. This is the part that is above the gum line. However, just like a glacier in water, your tooth goes beyond the gum line. You cannot see the foundation and strength of your tooth. Under the gum line is where the root of your teeth that’s embedded in the jawbone is located. This is the place where periodontal disease can hide.

Periodontal disease is a bacterial disease that when a patient is infected the bacteria destroys the structure and support of the tooth. After destroying the gum line, it moves ahead to destroying the root and later detaches the tooth from the jaw bone. While undergoing dental scaling and cleaning, your hygienist will take some measurements which are known as pocket measurement or periodontal charting. These measurements will help him/her determine how secure and disease free your tooth is. The measurements of a healthy reading will range between zeros to one millimetre. Stage one also known as gingivitis ranges between 2-3 mm. The pocket depth that is between 4-5 mm is stage 2 which is also known as periodontitis. This stage starts to include gum recession. Your dentist or oral hygienist will recommend dental scale and clean if he sees dental pockets that go beyond 4mm. If you register a reading of 6 to 10 mm, then this is advanced periodontal disease, and the chances are you are now already having bone loss.

When you undergo dental scaling and cleaning, your dentist or oral hygienist is cleaning and taking away the bacteria that is hiding in the gum line area touching the root of your teeth. The tooth can heal and start getting back to its healthy state once you have received dental scale and clean. To help better the situation, your dentist can also recommend an adjunctive therapy known as a local delivery antimicrobial. This method involves placing antibiotic or medicine directly in specific affected areas of your tooth to help get rid of bacteria and infection. This is an awesome advancement in the dental field when it comes to treating periodontal disease.

What Causes Periodontal Disease?

There is so many causes that can result in periodontal disease. Some of the most common include:

Poor Dental Hygiene

Periodontal disease prevention starts right at home with good dental hygiene and taking a healthy balanced diet. It also involves regular dental checkups that include cleanings, x-ray and exams. A combination of good dental hygiene at home plus professional dental care will ensure that you preserve your supportive bony structures and your natural dentition. When tartar and bacteria are not removed from the bone around the teeth and the gums, the teeth become infected by bacteria toxins which can result in gingivitis or worse periodontal disease. This can ultimately lead to tooth loss.

Use of Tobacco

Research has shown that one of the leading cause of periodontal disease all over the globe is tobacco use. Tobacco smokers are far more likely to suffer from tartar build-up, deep pockets and significant bone loss. Additionally, tobacco smokers have a slow healing process and recovery rate.

Chronic Stress and Poor Diet

Presence of stress lowers an individual’s immune system to fight disease. This means that bacterial infections have better chances to beat the body defence system. Malnutrition or poor diet also lowers the body’s ability to fight periodontal disease and also negatively affecting the health of the gums.

Genetic Predisposition

Despite efforts of undertaking good oral hygiene measures, about 30% of the population in Australia have a genetic predisposition to gum disease. People with genetic disposition are six times more likely to develop periodontal disease than people with no genetic predisposition. You can visit your dentist for Genetic tests to determine your susceptibility. If your dentist finds out that you are susceptible to genetic disposition, he/she can help with an early intervention to keep periodontal disease at bay.

Diabetes and Underlying Medical Issues

There are quite a number of medical issues that can that can accelerate or intensify the onset and progression of periodontal disease including heart disease, respiratory disease, osteoporosis and arthritis. Diabetes creates a hurdle to the body’s ability to make use of insulin thus making the bacterial infection in the gums more difficult to control and cure.

Pregnancy and Menopause

Regular brushing and flossing are very necessary during pregnancy are critical. Hormonal changes that the body experiences during pregnancy can make the gum tissues become more sensitive thus rendering them more vulnerable to gum disease.

Grinding Teeth

Another factor that can severely damage the underlying tissue surrounding the teeth is teeth grinding. Teeth grinding is usually associated with teeth misalignment or bad bite. When an individual is suffering from gum disease, the condition is usually mostly accelerated to periodontal disease.

Medication

Many drugs including heart medicine, oral contraceptives pills, steroids and anti-depressants affect the overall condition of an individual’s teeth and gums. This can make them more susceptible to gum disease. The use of steroids promotes gingival overgrowth. This allows bacteria to colonize more readily in the gum tissue and makes swelling more as well.

Periodontal disease can be effectively controlled by the dental scale and clean by the dentist or oral hygienist. He can also prescribe some antifungal medications to help treat the infection. The sad thing about the periodontal disease is that it does not only affect your mouth, it also affects your overall health. The bacteria that reside in your mouth are passed through to your body all day. There is a direct connection between periodontal disease and your overall health. It increases the risk of a heart attack by 25%. It also increases the risk of stroke by a factor of 20. People with untreated gum disease spend 25% more money on health bills in their lifetime.

If your dentist recommends that you need to have a dental scale and clean due to deep pockets, you are not alone. 85% of the population in Australia have some form of gum disease. You can stop yours from advancing by accepting your dentist or oral hygienist proposal of undergoing a dental scale and clean. It’s worth every penny.

The Benefits of Professional Dental Scale and Clean

Whether you are young or old, good dental health is paramount for everyone. Brushing and flossing on a daily definitely basis top the list. The next important factor to ensure proper oral health is regular professional cleaning from the dentist. According to Australian Dental Association, you should clean your teeth at least twice a year. During your regular dental visit to the dentist, he or she can recommend dental scaling and cleaning due to several reasons. Among the reasons is to remove tartar build-up along your gum line using some special dental tools. The procedure accrues a lot of benefits, here are some of them.

Plaque Removal

Plaque is a soft, sticky substance and usually a creamy white colour. Plaque is made up of bacteria, their by-products and other substances they require to live. Think of it as a little ecosystem of microbes. Regular cleaning and dental flossing can help get rid of plaque. However, if left undisturbed, plaque can start releasing toxins which will irritate your gums and produces an acid which will cause tooth decay. The most common areas that are mostly affected by tartar build-up occurs in between teeth and other hard to reach areas in the mouth. Very few people can do a good job to get rid of plaque completely, and that’s why dental scaling and cleaning is recommended. Getting a dental scaling and cleaning can help remove plaque from those nooks and crannies that you might be missing.

Calculus Removal

Calculus or tartar, as it’s often called by a majority of people is different from plaque. Calculus is hard and cannot just be removed by regular brushing and flossing. If you fail to remove plaque from your mouth effectively, it will harden over time with the help of the minerals in your saliva. Calculus looks more like the deposits you find at the bottom of your kettle. Unfortunately, regular brushing and flossing is not an option when it comes to getting rid of them; you will need a dental scale and clean from a professional dentist to have them removed. While calculus on its own does not cause major dental problems, it provides a perfect place for plaque to accumulate. So leaving plaque to sit on your teeth causes the same problems just as plaque does.

Stain Removal

Some of the things we eat on a daily basis are the ones responsible for teeth staining. Such foods and drinks include tea, coffee, tobacco and red wine among other foods and drinks. Staining is a more aesthetic problem than a health issue. It sticks to your teeth after taking some of the foods and drinks we have outlined above. Some teeth whitening products will only reduce the amount of staining but can never do a better job than dental scale, and clean will do. You will enjoy a clean and bright smile after undergoing the procedure. Dental scale and clean is recommended to be undertaking at least after every six months to help maintain that bright smile.

Protects Your Teeth and Gums

A good number of Australians have some form of gum disease, but early diagnosis can treat or even reverse the condition. If left untreated, gum disease can become severe and can lead to the loss of your permanent teeth. Regular dental hygiene measure such as brushing, flossing and regular visits to the dentist are helpful in preventing gum disease and protect your teeth. However, if gum disease has moved to advanced levels, dental scale and clean can come in handy in protecting your teeth and gums.

Detects Other Dental Complications Early

Dental scale and clean can help the dentist detect other oral complications such as oral cancer, broken fillings and cavities early. These issues are easy to be diagnosed early but only if you visit the dentist for services such as dental scaling and cleaning. Early detection of such issues helps to avoid the need for complicated and costly dental procedures such as root canal, tooth extraction or gum surgery.

Protects Your Overall Health

Did you know that practising good dental care can significantly lower your risk of stroke and heart attack? Well, several studies link proper dental hygiene to good overall health. Dental scale and clean are some of the appropriate dental care measures you should undertake as a part of protecting your overall health. It helps to remove tartar and hardened calculus that acts as a gateway of bacteria to the rest of the body.

Prevent Bad Breath

In the most instance where there are cases of bad breathe also known as halitosis, there is always an underlying dental problem to blame. By keeping your teeth free from tartar and calculus with regular dental scale and clean, you will help prevent bad breath from getting in the way of your social life.

Reduces Instances of Tooth Decay, Gum Recession and Bleeding Gums

You can help to prevent gum recession and bleeding and destruction of the bone around your teeth that leads to shaky teeth and eventually loss of teeth by maintaining a bacterial infection free mouth. Also, you can significantly reduce the risk of tooth decay by having plaque removed.

Look Great and Boost Your Self Confidence

No single person ever dreams of having yellow or decayed teeth and an unpleasant smile. With dental scale and clean, you can help maintain the white colour of your teeth and advance your overall appearance. Your smile is an integral part of your appearance. When you look great, you also feel great. Having a bright smile will help you have a new sense of self-esteem and self-confidence.

Saves Money in the Long Run

There is a saying that says ‘prevention is nine-tenths of the cure.’ When you prevent the occurrence of a disease, you help save your money in the long run. Undertaking dental scale and clean will help you save your money in the long run by avoiding costly and discomforting procedures.

What is the Procedure of Dental Scale and Clean?

Dental scaling involves getting a deep cleaning of the tooth and removing the tartar that has accumulated above and below the gum line. This procedure involves using some special dental instruments to loosen and remove deposits from the teeth. Your dentist will use an electric scaler to remove some of the toughest calculus. Also known as an ultrasonic scaler, an electric scaler has a very fine tip that vibrates at high speed. The vibration from this device is normally very fine and cannot damage your teeth.

As the ultrasonic scaler is vibrating, it also emits some jets of water. The combination of the electric scaler and jets of water helps to effectively scrap away and clean the debris lodged between the teeth. Your dentist can also use another set of hand instruments to reach out some awkward space, which is hard to reach in the mouth. The hand scalers are of different sizes and shapes so that they can enable the dentist to clean plaque from your teeth to finer details.

The final step of dental scale and clean is polishing. The dentist will use a rotating toothbrush and toothpaste to give you a thorough clean. After the procedure, your mouth will feel fresh and much cleaner. Your dentist might recommend a fluoride toothpaste to prevent any tooth decay in future.

After Care Tips

After undertaking a dental scale and clean, you may experience some minor pain for a day or two with teeth sensitivity that might last up to a week. Your gums might also be swollen, feel tender or even occasionally bleed. To control pain, prevent infection and help speed up your healing process, your dentist might prescribe some mouth rinse or a pill. He or she might also insert some medication directly into the pockets where cleaning was done. You will be given another appointment by your dentist to monitor your healing process and measure the depth of your pockets. More treatment may be required Just in case they may have gotten deeper.

Does Dental Scaling and Clean Hurt?

During the procedure, your dentist will numb the area with local anaesthesia to prevent you from feeling any form of pain. However, dental scale and clean cause very little discomfort. The whole procedure might be done within a single visit, although the dentist may divide the procedure into four appointments. Every appointment will be used to clean a fourth of the mouth. You can expect your mouth to be numb and a little bit tender after the procedure. If you maintain proper dental hygiene measure by brushing and flossing daily, your healing process will be much faster.

How Frequently Should Be Scaling Done?

Plaques forms on the teeth in a continuous process. If this is not removed immediately, it starts mineralizing on the teeth after ten to fourteen hours. Such a person may require a dental scale and clean after every six months. The golden rule is to have a routine dental check-up with your dentist, and then he or she will determine if you need a dental scale and clean. It must be emphasized that dental scale and clean does not weaken the teeth but only prevents gum disease from forming which if left untreated can lead to more serious health complications.

Bottom Line

Gum disease is something you can prevent at home, but if you fail to schedule regular visits with the dentist, it becomes inevitable. Medications, hormones, certain diseases, what we eat can make it easier to get gum disease and harder to get rid of. If your dentist believes that you have early signs of periodontal disease, you should undergo a dental scale and clean to remove all the tartar, bacteria and plaque from below your gum line. This will prevent further infection and help both your teeth and gum to heal.

If you think you are a candidate for dental scale and clean, contact us today at Springvale dental clinic for consultation. Our highly qualified professionals can help you with state-of- the-art technology and a customized treatment plan.