Plaque is a soft, sticky substance that builds up on your teeth. It is mostly made up of bacteria. The bacteria in plaque feeds on sugar from food and drink, producing acids as a waste product. The acid attacks the teeth by dissolving the minerals in the tooth surface. If this happens too offen, tooth decay results.

If the plaque is allowed to build up, the bacteria in it can cause gum disease, making your gum sore and infected.

Tartar (calculus) formed by hardened plaque, helps plaque to collect and makes it harder to remove when you brush your teeth.

The dentist can remove the tartar using special instruments. This is known as scaling. Your dentist will also polish your teeth to remove the remaining plaque around your teeth.

The plaque will build up again, but if you clean your teeth very thoroughly at home, you will protect your mouth against tooth decay and gum disease.

The Benefits :

• Regular scaling and polishing by a dentist can help keep your teeth and gums healthy by making it easier for you to keep your teeth clean at home. You should see, and feel the difference.
• If your gums bleed when you brush, you may have early gum disease. Regular scaling by your dentist will help to stop the disease getting worse and it will help to eliminate the disease by thorough cleaning at home.
• Bad breath is often caused by gum disease. Regular scaling and polishing, and cleaning your teeth thoroughly at home can prevent this.

Air Polishing

Sometimes, the teeth may be badly stained because of smoking, tea, coffee or other staining agents. If you wish to have these stains removed, please ask your dentist for a private scale and polish.

We now have an Air Polishing Scaling Unit which is very effective to remove stains from smoking, for example.

A scale and polish can remove most of the stains but does not change the colour of your teeth. If you wish to have a whiter smile please consider our tooth whitening. Ask your dentist for advice.