Tooth polishing is a procedure performed on natural teeth and dental restorations to smooth their surfaces. It is done for a variety of reasons, most importantly to remove extrinsic stains, improve oral hygiene and reduce corrosion on metal restorations.
강남임플란트At Lovett Dental Meyerland Plaza, a dentist will apply a prophy paste (similar to toothpaste) to the tooth surface and then use a spinning tool that has an abrasive element on it.
Plaque Removal
Even if you have excellent oral hygiene practices, dental plaque can build up on the surfaces of your teeth. During the professional teeth cleaning portion of your appointment, our dental staff removes this build-up with scaling and polishing tools. This prevents it from forming hard deposits that can lead to tooth decay, gum disease, and other issues.
Tooth polishing is a mechanical procedure that smooths the surfaces of your teeth and restorations, removing extrinsic stains, increasing aesthetics, and reducing corrosion on metallic dental restorations. This is typically done after debridement and prior to fluoride application. It is a common practice among dentists and dental hygienists.
There are many different types of abrasive agents used in tooth polishing including pumice, calcium carbonate, silica, perlite, feldspar, aluminum oxide, and others. These abrasive agents are ground to produce scratches that are less than the wavelength of visible light on the surface of your tooth, making them barely noticeable to the naked eye. They are also formulated with binders, humectants, flavoring agents, and coloring agents to increase patient motivation and acceptance of the procedure.
Although it is believed that the polishing process makes it harder for harmful bacteria to adhere to your teeth, this is only a small part of the reason why you should have regular professional cleanings. The real reason is to remove the built up plaque that accumulates on your teeth (along with a thorough ultrasonic scaling) and keeps you from having healthy gums and a bright smile!
Stain Removal
Tooth polishing is a prophylactic procedure that involves the removal of extrinsic dental stains from tooth surfaces. It leaves a smooth, shiny appearance to the teeth and increases their resistance to subsequent staining, plaque deposition, and corrosion of metallic restorations. This procedure can be performed by a dental hygienist with a rubber cup and paste or an air-polishing device that fires pressurized water and an abrasive compound.
Tooth stains are often caused by regular consumption of dark foods and beverages such as soda, coffee, tomato sauce, red wine, etc. The resulting hardened plaque (tartar) contains bacteria that can cause dental diseases. Dental hygienists remove the tartar during regular cleanings or prophylaxis and sometimes polish the teeth afterwards to prevent future tooth decay and promote oral health.
There are two types of dental stains: extrinsic and intrinsic. Extrinsic stains can be green, brown, orange or black in color and result from various dietary or environmental factors such as tobacco use, betel quid chewing, some antimicrobial rinses, coffee, tea and red wine drinking, and chromogenic bacterial deposits in the dental plaque. Polishing with a coarse prophylaxis paste effectively removes these stains. However, the excessive abrasion can also produce micro-scratches on the tooth surface which makes them more susceptible to extrinsic stains and bacterial colonization in the future. Fine prophylaxis pastes, such as pumice, calcium carbonate and zirconium silicate are less abrasive and produce minimal scratches to the enamel.
Sensitivity Reduction
Tooth polishing can help reduce tooth sensitivity in some patients. It’s a preventive procedure performed during regular dental checkups and can help improve the look of teeth while encouraging good oral health. However, if a patient has sensitive teeth or gums, it’s important that the dental professional is aware of these issues before performing the polishing procedure and uses an appropriate paste for the individual’s needs.
Tooth whitening is another option that can help reduce surface stains on the teeth. This can be used on both natural teeth and restorations, including dentures.
One of the primary reasons for tooth sensitivity following a cleaning is the wear and tear on the protective enamel layer that can occur as a result of scaling and root planing and other dental procedures. Tooth polishing can help to reduce this sensitivity by smoothing the surface of the tooth and removing any abrasive debris that may be present.
The polishing process is usually done using a handpiece with either a straight or contra-angled brush along with a prophylactic paste. The abrasive paste can be pumice, tripoli, rouge, emery, cuttlefish bone or coarse pumice and is typically applied at a speed between 2500 and 3000 rpm in a patting motion. The polishing cup contacts the tooth surfaces for an average of 4.5 seconds. Aerosols are generated during the polishing process and can cause a variety of complications in the oral cavity, from infection to abrasion of soft tissues.
Aesthetics
A beautiful smile with shiny, white teeth gives a person self-confidence and can help them feel comfortable in social situations. Tooth polishing is a dental procedure that helps remove stains on the surface of the tooth. It is a common procedure that many dentists and hygienists offer.
Generally, a rubber cup or a polishing brush on a prophy-angled handpiece rotated at 2500 to 3000 rpm is used for tooth polishing. The hygienist uses the rubber cup or polishing brush to contact each tooth surface for 2-5 seconds in a patting motion to eliminate the bacterial biofilms and extrinsic stains.
The polishing agent may be an abrasive material such as pumice, flour of tartar, diamond, tin oxide or zirconium silicate. Pumice is a light gray, highly siliceous material that is crushed to produce a fine powder with low abrasion and is used for cleaning and polishing dental enamel, gold foil, dental amalgam and acrylic resins. It is also found in some prophylaxis pastes and to coat abrasive disks, strips, points and latex-free polishing cups.
The abrasive material should be less than or equal in hardness to the substrate being cleaned. This prevents scratching that can damage the substrate. For instance, it is advisable to use softer polishing materials for the exposed root surfaces of the teeth as they are more fragile than the enamel. Moreover, a soft brush is preferred for polishing the gum lines to avoid causing inflammation or delayed healing.