Teeth Cleaning

PLAQUE AND TARTAR ARE NOT THE SAME THING

This is the distinction that explains why a professional clean is necessary at all.

Plaque is the soft, sticky film of bacteria that forms on teeth continuously, within hours of cleaning them. It is soft, and you can remove it yourself with a toothbrush and interdental cleaning. This is what daily brushing is for.

Tartar, also called calculus, is plaque that has been left in place long enough to harden. Minerals from your saliva crystallise within it and it becomes firmly attached to the tooth surface. Once that has happened, a toothbrush cannot remove it — not with more pressure, not with a harder brush, and not with a different toothpaste.

Tartar matters because its surface is rough and porous, so it holds more plaque against the tooth and against the gum. Left there, it keeps the gum inflamed. That is the starting point of gum disease.

Only a dental professional can remove tartar, and that is essentially what a professional clean is.

 

WHAT HAPPENS DURING AN APPOINTMENT

Examination first. The teeth and gums are looked at, and in many cases the gum pockets are measured with a small probe to record gum health. This takes a few minutes and determines whether a routine clean is appropriate or whether gum treatment is needed.

Scaling. The tartar is removed from the tooth surfaces, above and just below the gum line. This is usually done with an ultrasonic scaler, a small instrument that vibrates at high frequency with a fine water spray, and is finished by hand with specially shaped instruments where needed. You feel vibration, water and some pressure.

Polishing. The teeth are polished with a rotating rubber cup and a mildly abrasive paste, or with an air-polishing device that directs a stream of fine powder and water at the tooth. Polishing removes surface stain and leaves the tooth surface smooth, which slows how quickly new plaque attaches.

Cleaning between the teeth, where a toothbrush does not reach and where both decay and gum disease most often begin.

Advice. Where the deposits are building up tells your dentist or hygienist something, and the most useful part of the appointment is often the specific guidance on what you are missing at home.

 

CLEANING IS NOT WHITENING

These two are frequently confused, and they do different things.

Cleaning removes what is on the tooth — tartar, and the surface stain that coffee, tea, red wine and tobacco leave behind. Teeth very often look brighter after a clean, and that is because their actual surface has been uncovered.

Whitening changes the colour of the tooth itself, using a peroxide-based product that lightens the natural shade of the tooth from within.

So a clean restores your teeth to their own natural colour. Whitening takes them lighter than that.

Cleaning is always done before whitening, because whitening gel cannot work through a layer of tartar or heavy stain, and the result would be uneven.

Whitening is covered on its own page.

 

WHAT A CLEAN CAN AND CANNOT CHANGE

It removes tartar above and just below the gum line, surface stain, and plaque from areas you have been missing.

It usually improves bad breath, bleeding gums caused by inflammation, and the general feel of the mouth.

It does not change the natural internal colour of your teeth, stains that are within the tooth rather than on it, the colour of existing fillings and crowns, or the shape and position of your teeth.

It is not a treatment for established gum disease. Where the gum has detached from the tooth and bone has been lost, a routine clean is not enough, and a different and more thorough treatment is needed. That is covered on the gum disease page.

 

HOW OFTEN

The usual recommendation is every six months, but that is an average rather than a rule, and the right interval differs between people.

Some people build tartar quickly, because of the mineral content of their saliva, their diet, smoking, crowded teeth that are harder to clean, or a dry mouth caused by medication. They may be advised to come more often.

Others, with a settled mouth and good home care, may be fine with longer intervals.

Your dentist should tell you what interval is right for you rather than applying a default.

 

WHAT IT FEELS LIKE

For most people a routine clean is not painful. You feel vibration, pressure and cold water.

Sensitivity during or after the appointment is common, particularly where there is recession or exposed root surface, and it usually settles within a day or two. Local anaesthetic can be used where someone finds it uncomfortable, and this is worth mentioning beforehand rather than enduring it.

If your gums are inflamed, they may bleed during the clean. That is a sign of the inflammation rather than of the cleaning being too rough, and it generally improves within a couple of weeks once the deposits have gone and home care improves.

Teeth can feel slightly odd for a day or so afterwards — larger, or with more space between them. That is the tartar no longer being there.

 

AFTERWARDS

There are usually no restrictions after a routine clean. Where a polishing paste has been used, some dentists suggest avoiding strongly staining food and drink for a short period.

If your gums were inflamed and bled, they may be tender for a day or two. Continuing to clean them gently is important — stopping because they are sore prolongs the problem.

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QUESTIONS PATIENTS ASK

 

Does cleaning damage the enamel? No. Ultrasonic scaling works on the tartar rather than cutting the tooth, and polishing pastes are mildly abrasive by design. Routine professional cleaning does not thin enamel in any way that matters.

 

Will it loosen my teeth? No. Where teeth feel slightly different afterwards, it is because a build-up that was splinting them together has been removed — and that build-up was not holding them in, it was damaging the gum around them.

 

Will my teeth be whiter afterwards? They will be their own natural colour, with stain removed, which often looks noticeably brighter. They will not be lighter than their natural shade. That is whitening.

 

Can I just brush harder instead? No. Hardened tartar does not respond to brushing, and brushing harder damages the gum and wears the tooth at the gum line.

 

Is an ultrasonic scaler safe if I have a pacemaker? Modern pacemakers are generally shielded and ultrasonic scaling is widely used without problems, but tell your dentist, who will check your specific device.

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I have not been for years and I am embarrassed. Dental teams see this every week and it is not remarkable to them. What matters is where the mouth is now, not how long it has been.

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