Tooth scaling, also referred to as dental scaling, takes issues to the following stage when it comes to tackling plaque buildup. It’s an in-office dental process that makes use of sharp devices (that are finest utilized by professionals) and cautious consideration to element to take away plaque, as seen right here (beware, it’s not for the faint of coronary heart):

Movies of this process are going viral on TikTok, which is encouraging individuals to strive it at house, as seen right here:

However is that secure? We spoke with the consultants to search out out.

“Plaque is a sticky movie that covers the enamel, and consists of various kinds of micro organism and organic parts (equivalent to calcium) present in your saliva,” mentioned Brian Kantor, a dentist in New York. Sometimes discovered on the gumline, plaque can type for a lot of causes, both from consuming starchy or sugary meals, not brushing on daily basis or not flossing accurately. Most individuals can really feel plaque after they run their tongue on their enamel, or in the event that they scratch on the floor of their enamel with their nail and a yellow or white movie comes off, mentioned Rhonda Kalasho, a dentist and the CEO of TruGlo Fashionable Dental.

Apart from the beauty results plaque buildup imposes (like dry mouth and dangerous breath), uncontrolled plaque buildup can result in gum irritation, leading to bleeding gums and quite a lot of periodontal situations (equivalent to gum recession, bone loss and eventual tooth loss), mentioned Marina Gonchar, a dentist and proprietor of Pores and skin to Smile. To not point out, plaque buildup can result in cavities or tooth infections.

“Tooth scaling is a cleansing process designed to eradicate extreme plaque buildup on the enamel,” Kantor defined. “Whereas a typical cleansing will tackle the floor of the tooth, scaling goes a lot deeper and often includes going under the gums.”

The method itself is completed through a scaler, a handheld metallic enamel cleansing software that scrapes off the plaque and calculus, or tartar, from the enamel. The software is double-sided, with the pointed finish used for the tooth part above the gumline and the curved finish used to achieve under the gumline, mentioned Kantor, who added that your dentist could use an ultrasonic software with a vibrating metallic prime plus a water spray to clean tartar away.

Tooth scaling has a number of advantages in your oral well being. For one, eliminating plaque buildup will help take away a few of that yellow discoloration in your enamel, contributing to a brighter, shinier smile. It may additionally scale back the chance of gum illness and tooth decay, and may even assist repair disagreeable breath (or halitosis).

“Scaling shouldn’t be carried out at house and ought to be left for the dental workplace,” Kantor clearly acknowledged.

It’s not even one thing that’s advisable for everybody within the first place. “The willpower if a affected person requires tooth scaling is often made on account of a scientific examination and radiographic evaluation, which confirms that the affected person has plaque situated considerably under the gumline and is inflicting gum irritation with doable bone loss,” Gonchar mentioned.

Additionally, the instruments used to take away plaque are sharp and have a particular form for every tooth that assist maximize plaque removing whereas minimizing tooth harm, Gonchar added. “Utilizing instruments which might be this sharp with none data of the way to correctly maintain them and the strain with which to use them to the tooth floor can result in tooth and gum harm.”

At-home enamel scaling may also result in an infection, as scalers “have to be sterilized completely earlier than each use in order to not switch micro organism from one floor to a different,” Kalasho mentioned. It’s additionally doable to overly scale a tooth, which may result in harm of your enamel in addition to minor cracks that may reduce the tooth’s integrity and improve sensitivity.

The takeaway? Whereas nixing plaque buildup is necessary to oral hygiene, enamel scaling ought to be left within the palms of an expert to scale back the chance of undesirable cuts, bleeding and harm.