A dental cleaning is a professional cleaning you receive from a dentist or dental hygienist. Cleanings should be performed every six months to prevent excessive plaque buildup and tartar. Plaque and tartar left untreated can lead to unhealthy gums and tooth decay. A routine dental cleaning should include scaling and polishing.
Scaling: This is the process of removing plaque and tartar from all tooth surfaces above the gumline in a variety of methods, depending on the amount of plaque and tartar.
Dental hygienists traditionally perform scaling by hand. However, new and advanced technology has led to more modern methods such as ultrasonic scalers. This sophisticated tool allows dental cleanings to be performed more efficiently and in less time. To achieve best results, both ultrasonic and manual scaling methods can be combined for dental cleanings.
