What Is Dental Scaling?
Dental scaling is the most common nonsurgical way to treat gum disease, which is also known as periodontitis.
If your disease is moderate, but not severe, your dentist may
recommend scaling to treat the disease and keep it from getting worse.
But if you have severe periodontal disease and your condition may
require gum surgery, your dentist and periodontist may recommend a
scaling and root planing before the surgery, as well as a thorough
teeth-cleaning prior to the procedure.
The sticky, bacteria-filled plaque that causes gum disease tends to
accumulate in the area along and just below the gum line. If you have
gums that are slightly receded from your teeth, you may be at increased
risk for gum disease and your dentist may recommend scaling. Scaling is
nonsurgical, but it is a different type of procedure from a standard
dental cleaning because it involves cleaning the areas of the tooth
below the gum line.
There are two types of scaling instruments and some dentists or dental hygienists may use both:
- Scaling with hand-held instruments. Your dentist or
periodontist will use a dental scaler and curette to manually remove
(scale) the plaque from the teeth. Because the dentist or dental
hygienist can't see the plaque, they rely on touch to identify areas of
tartar buildup and rough spots.
- Scaling with ultrasonic instruments. Ultrasonic scaling
instruments clean plaque from the teeth with a vibrating metal tip that
chips off the tartar and a water spray to wash it away and keep the tip
cool.
