You must be thinking that brushing and flossing are all you need to do for smooth, shining and stain-free teeth. But, that’s just the start. Taking care of your teeth needs much more than just brushing. It requires you to visit your dentist every six months. These regular checkups and professional cleanings are essential for smooth, shining, and stain-free teeth. Tooth polishing plays an essential role in keeping those teeth stain-free and has long been a part of the routine dental checkups.
Over the period of time, layers of plaque gradually build up on teeth, slowly they harden and form a light yellowish hard mineral substance called tartar which starts to accumulate on your teeth. If not scrapped or removed in time, the bacteria-laden debris can lead to cavities and severe gum diseases. Teeth polishing helps in keeping your teeth plaque free and is a part of the teeth whitening treatment.
Benefits of Teeth Polishing
Tooth polishing or coronal polishing is the process of smoothing the exposed tooth. Tooth polishing not only has cosmetic benefits but has many other benefits such as:
- Prevents cavities
Teeth polishing prevents plaque from building up which causes tooth decay. Plaque eats tooth enamel. If left unattended it leads to tooth cavities. Teeth polishing gets rid of the whitish or light yellowish film on your teeth.
- Prevents tooth loss
Gum diseases are caused by the accumulation of plaque. In extreme cases it causes tooth loss and severe gum diseases that lead to the destruction of the bone that supports the jaw, causing the teeth to loosen and eventually it falls out. Dentists recommend regular oral maintenance of teeth and oral hygiene.
- Freshens your breath
Polishing your teeth and keeping it clean will help prevent unpleasant breath. Daily flossing and brushing teeth is not enough. At least once a year tooth polishing is required.
- Brightens your smile
Taking wines, berries, regular coffee and tea, and smoking can leave a very nasty and terrible stain on your teeth. In today’s day, this can affect not only confidence but self-esteem as well. Tooth polishing removes surface stain and leaves your teeth sparkling white and smooth. This gives you a brighter, whiter and clean smile. A discolored smile can affect relationships with friends, family, and colleagues.
- Boosts your overall health
Dental polishing helps lower the risk of not only severe dental diseases but also overall health. Some of the medical conditions like heart ailments and mild stroke are detected on time. When one maintains regular dental care your overall health gets promoted too. Regular dental visits can help identify different stages of diseases.
- Helps you save money
Protecting your oral health and regular dental visits will eventually help you save money. Early detection can save not only acute dental treatment and save any costly and extensive treatment in the future. Dentists recommend polishing at least two to three times a year depending on the accumulation of tartar and visible stains.
Tooth Polishing Procedure
Tooth polishing is painless, and it is a cosmetic procedure which the majority of patients enjoy. It is a treatment which is done after the debris is scrapped and removed but before the application of fluoride.
Using specialized instruments with an ultrasonic tool, which uses the power of subtle vibrations to remove the tartar and flush with water, the dentist scrapes the hard tarter. This process is called scaling.
The hygienist then uses the hand tool to remove any spots or outer stain.
After the tartar is removed and stains are out, the hygienist applies some prophy paste to the teeth and starts polishing the teeth and after some time rinses the mouth. It is removing of the surface stain the primary purpose of tooth polishing, but while cleaning the tooth enamel could get weaker. Therefore, some hygienists perform only selective polishing in which they choose only individual tooth to polish.
The dentist usually advises patients to visit twice a year for deep cleaning better known as an appointment of “a Prophy”. This type of deep teeth cleaning is prophylactic because the primary purpose here is to prevent gum diseases or further dental problems. Regular deep or prophy teeth cleaning involves removing plaque, tartar or debris from just the visible part of the teeth and dentist must go below the gumline to eliminate the disease-causing bacteria as well as cleaning the tooth roots.
How to Polish Teeth at home
Many of the food we consume will leave stains on the surface of the teeth. Food that is high in citric acid will wear your teeth enamel over time. Coffee and tea can discolor your teeth and make your teeth look dull and dirty.
Below are tips for creating natural tooth polish which will keep your teeth from stains and also accumulating tartar.
- Baking powder mixture
Take one teaspoon of baking powder with a spoon in a bowl and mix it with two to three drops of peppermint oil and few drops of water and create a thick paste. Put on the toothbrush and gently brush or polish your teeth with the mixture and then rinse. The baking soda will gently clean surface stains and also clean the teeth.
- Rock salt
Take a teaspoon of grainy rock salt with few drops of lemon, mix well and wet your toothbrush. Then gently brush your teeth with the mixture for a few minutes. Gargle and rinse your mouth thoroughly with warm water. The rock salt acts as an abrasive and the lemon juice will remove the surface stains. Do this regularly to keep your tooth polished and sparkling.
- Orange peel
Gently rub the inside (white part) of the orange peel across your teeth for a few minutes. This polishes your teeth and restores shine to the enamel. The vitamin in the orange peel is useful for treating gum diseases.
- Neem branch – replace your toothbrush
Neem branches are helpful for many different health diseases including your oral care. Chew the neem branch for a few days in a week, and you can avoid many dental conditions. Chewing on neem branch is mostly the best natural method for teeth polishing. Also, it removes stubborn yellowish color stains.
- Strawberries plup
Crush few strawberries and make a soft pulp and add a teaspoon of baking powder to make a paste. Rub gently on your teeth and leave it for few minutes. Rinse entirely and thoroughly and then floss to remove any seeds. The malic acid in strawberries will act as a cleaning agent and remove the surface stains on your teeth. This is another natural way to polish your teeth.
- Ginger and rock salt
Take a small piece a ginger and rock salt paste, gently rub and then brush. Rinse mouth well once you brush your teeth.
There are professional tooth polishing pastes, special plaque removal tools, a dual-head toothbrush, and a polisher, and many standard electric toothbrushes with a small rubber cupped head used for tooth polishing. There are many other ways such as over the counter battery operated electric tooth polisher kits too which can be used.
The primary purpose of tooth polishing is to remove surface stain and get rid of plaque. It is a cosmetic procedure which has minimal therapeutic value for dental care. Regular oral hygiene will prevent you from accumulating tartar which causes plaque. Power toothbrushes reduce gingivitis better than manual toothbrushing. Frequent brushing combined with the use of dental floss will avoid the accumulation of plaque which can cause gum diseases.
During the initial visit to our San Francisco office, Dr. Mohamed Ali will thoroughly examine your mouth and will recommend whether you need dental polishing or not. The billing experts will check your insurance benefits and present a complete treatment plan with the financial arrangements. We accept all major dental and medical PPO insurance plans. We also have an in-office Plan for Health for those who don’t have insurance. Additionally, we have partnered with various financial institutions like Care Credit, The Lending Club, and Healthcare Finance Solutions to make your treatment extremely affordable. We will be happy to answer all your questions. So sit, relax, and let us polish your teeth, remove the surface stain and get back the beautiful facial appearance and sparkling teeth you once had. To schedule your free consultation, call us at 415.391.7751.
