Polishing first gives you a chance to look around the entire mouth before you scale. Evaluate tissue color, contour, consistency, and bleeding at the same time plaque is removed.
It is recommended you do not have anything to eat or drink (except for water) at least 5 hours before your scheduled appointment. This will prevent food debris from lodging in your teeth, which can irritate you during a cleaning and give your dentist a little extra work to do.
Polish first, if they have a lot of plaque or stain. For me it depends on the situation but I 100 prefer to cavitron first, I can deplaque and remove calc at the same time even food debris is removed quicker. I feel like polishing first always is like brushing before flossing.
After your teeth have been thoroughly cleaned and all the plaque and tartar removed, then it's time for polishing.
When anesthetic has been used, your lips, teeth, and tongue may be numb for several hours after the appointment. Avoid any chewing until the numbness has completely worn off. Wait at least two hours before eating, and then select a soft diet for the first 48-72 hours, chewing on the opposite side of your mouth.
Polishing is a finishing process in which stains may be removed and teeth become smooth and shiny. Though not absolutely necessary, polishing teeth after scaling does help to remove stains and remove bacteria from tooth roots that the normal scaling procedure could not reach and remove.
Clean the mouth before the appointment: Brushing teeth and disinfecting the mouth with an antiseptic mouthwash helps reduce the risk of infection. Bacteria is transferred into the patient's blood during the procedure, so keeping bacteria populations in the mouth to a minimum lowers the risk of infection.
A scale and polish is not primarily designed to whiten the teeth, as that is what teeth whitening treatments are for. With that said however, a scale and polish will in fact leave the teeth looking smooth, shiny, and whiter after the treatment.
Minor bleeding and swelling may occur, but this should subside after a few days. Other risks include issues with gum reattachment, gum recession, or nerve damage. These side effects are rare, and most patients have no issues after their treatment. The most common side effect is pain and sensitivity after the procedure.
After scraping off the hard tartar with special instruments, the hygienist polishes the teeth. Dental polishing can remove surface stains on teeth and leaves them shiny and smooth, putting the finishing touches on preventive dental treatment.
Benefits of Dental Polishing
Tooth polishing helps keep plaque off your teeth. Research suggests that teeth polishing doesn't stop you from getting gum disease, but people who have polishing done tend to have less bacteria.
Inflammation in the gums, tooth decay and other symptoms of oral disease can lead to increased sensitivity. This can cause pain when prodded during the cleaning process.
Within a week the gums will start to heal and reattach to the roots of the teeth. The initial discomfort should be gone. Full recovery and reattachment can take up to 6 or 8 weeks, but patients are usually back to normal eating, drinking, brushing, and flossing within the first week.
If the teeth' enamel is worn off, the teeth will appear yellow. This dentin explosion is difficult to treat with dental bleaching or cleaning. Thin Enamel: Thin enamel (outer layer of the tooth) can lead to exposure of the dentin which has a yellowish hue and may make your teeth appear yellower.
After they remove the buildup, your teeth can feel loose and like they are more likely to fall out. Despite that feeling of looseness, removing this buildup helps your gums and roots reattach to your teeth, increasing the chances they will be part of your smile in the longterm.
There are various reasons for this feeling. For some, the “weird” feeling may be a sense of cleanliness by not having a film of plaque on their teeth. For others, they may experience temporary tooth sensitivity.
Your teeth may be sensitive to extreme temperature and sweet items. Stick with warm meals and drinks until the sensitivity reduces. Minor bleeding may occur while brushing but it will stop after two or three days. Avoid hot meals for a while, and do not rinse out your mouth, as it could prevent proper healing.
After scaling and root planing is completed, you may experience slight discomfort around the teeth for several days and increased sensitivity to hot and cold (and sometimes sweets) for up to four to six weeks duration. This is a normal course of healing.
Plaque formation on the teeth is a continuous process. If this is not removed by brushing it starts mineralizing into tartar within 10-14 hours. Such persons may require periodic scaling, every 6 months or so. The golden rule is to have a routine dental check up every 6 months.
Scaling and polishing removes deposits such as plaque and calculus (tartar) from tooth surfaces. Over time, the regular removal of these deposits may reduce gingivitis (a mild form of gum disease) and prevent progression to periodontitis (severe gum disease).
Scaling is a common dental procedure to remove hardened plaque called calculus which causes teeth damage and gum diseases. As this procedure may leave the teeth rough, polishing is followed to smooth them out.
Typically, most healthy patients require professional cleaning once in 6 months.