Is there any harm in dental scaling? The role of teeth cleaning

— I have good teeth. I brush my teeth every day. Do I need to have them cleaned?

— Won’t teeth cleaning hurt my teeth and make them sour?

— After dental cleaning, the gap between my teeth grew, and I regret it!

What are the benefits of scaling? What are the benefits of scaling? And does scaling hurt your teeth?

What is the Purpose of Dental Cleaning?

Tooth scaling is a bacterial shield. There are many bacteria in our mouth that mix with food debris and shed oral epithelial cells, and adhere to the tooth surface, building up layer by layer to form a dense, structurally complex film structure – plaque, like a gelatinous, sticky film on the stones at the bottom of a stream.

Dental plaque is invisible, but it can be very harmful. It can unite different bacteria to wreak havoc on dental health more efficiently. If plaque is left alone, it can join forces with the mineral salts in saliva to form hardened tartar.

Tartar accumulates more bacteria, and the bacteria inside continue to secrete acids and toxins that demineralize teeth and irritate gums, causing them to be inflamed, red, and bleeding.These bacteria can also progress deeper, harming the tissues around the teeth and increasing the risk of periodontitis.

In the long run, the gums and teeth will separate, and bone resorption and defects will occur in the alveolar bone, resulting in gradual loosening and eventual loss of teeth once they lose support. Once calculus is formed, it cannot be removed by brushing but can only be removed by the doctor through periodontal instruments to slow down the rate of calculus deposition.

Moreover, scaling has the added benefit of early detection of tooth decay or other oral diseases, early treatment, and less suffering to avoid small problems from dragging into big ones.

What is Teeth Cleaning?

We usually call supragingival scaling, which focuses on cleaning the visible areas above the gums.

The most common type of scaling is ultrasonic scaling, which involves the scaling appliance producing high-frequency vibrations to shake down the calculus and spraying water to rinse it out.

If the calculus is difficult to clean, the doctor may manually scrape it off with an instrument one at a time.

Finally, depending on the situation, the teeth are polished. In the case of sandblasting, for example, a sandblasting machine sprays fine grit powder mixed with high-pressure air and water onto the tooth surface.

This removes fine calculus and pigment from narrow crevices and makes the tooth surface smoother and less prone to pigment and plaque deposits.

Do Teeth Become Sensitive after Scaling?

After the calculus is removed, the teeth are re-exposed. At this time, you will feel sensitive and uncomfortable when faced with hot, cold, sour, or sweet stimuli, such as cold water stimulation from the ultrasonic scaler, eating sour food or cold drinks, etc.

However, this sensitivity is temporary. Suppose you do not have problems such as gum recession per se. In that case, you will usually recover in 1-2 weeks if you try to avoid contact with cold, hot, acidic, and other irritation-prone foods and use anti-sensitivity toothpaste after teeth scaling.

Will the gap between teeth get bigger after scaling?

People who have not had their teeth cleaned for a long time may experience a larger gap after a cleaning.

This is because a large amount of calculus was stuffed in the gap before teeth scaling, giving the illusion that the gap is small, and after removing the calculus, the gap is exposed, as if the gap has become larger. At the same time, gingivitis is reduced after dental cleaning, and the gums are gradually swollen, making people feel that the gap between the teeth is wider.

In fact, not scaling regularly to remove calculus is more likely to produce periodontitis, which will lead to larger and larger gaps.

Do dental cleanings make my teeth shanghai?

The professional doctors at the dental clinic will apply ultrasonically and sandblasting cleaning instruments appropriately, which will not harm your teeth. Scaling uses ultrasound to shake down the calculus and will not damage your teeth.

Experts recommend having your teeth cleaned once or twice a year.