A scale and clean is a professional cleaning that removes plaque and hardened tartar from your teeth, including just below the gumline, followed by a polish. It’s usually part of a routine check-up, and most people find it a comfortable visit that helps keep gum disease and decay in check.
It’s one step in what a dental check-up involves. Here’s how it works, what it feels like, who does it and how to look after your teeth afterwards. You can also read about teeth cleaning in North Sydney.
Plaque vs tartar: why brushing isn’t always enough
Plaque is a soft, sticky film of bacteria that forms on your teeth every day. Brushing and flossing can remove it, but it’s easy to miss spots, particularly between teeth and along the gumline.
Plaque that stays put can harden into tartar, also called calculus, as minerals from your saliva build up in it. Tartar is often yellow or brown and tends to collect behind the lower front teeth and along the gums. It can’t be brushed off, and its rough surface traps even more plaque.
Over time, this irritates the gums and can lead to gingivitis, then to periodontitis, where the bone supporting your teeth is gradually lost. Signs you may have tartar build-up include:
- a rough feeling on your teeth that your tongue keeps finding
- a yellow or brown line near the gums
- gums that bleed when you brush or floss
- bad breath that keeps coming back
What happens during a scale and clean?
Ultrasonic scaling
Most cleans start with an ultrasonic scaler. Its small tip vibrates rapidly to break tartar away from the tooth, while a fine water spray cools the tip and flushes debris away, and a suction tube removes the water. You’ll hear a high-pitched hum and feel vibration and cool water.
Hand scaling
Next, fine hand instruments called scalers and curettes remove remaining deposits and smooth the tooth surface. Their shapes let the operator reach between teeth and just under the gumline. You may feel light scraping or pressure.
Polish
A slightly gritty paste on a soft rotating cup removes surface stains from tea, coffee, red wine and smoking, and leaves teeth feeling smooth. A polish can make teeth look brighter, but it doesn’t change their natural colour.
Fluoride and advice
A fluoride treatment helps strengthen enamel. Your dentist or therapist will then point out any areas that need more attention at home and suggest tools, such as interdental brushes, that suit your mouth.
Does a scale and clean hurt?
Most people find it comfortable. Areas with heavy tartar, receding gums or exposed roots can feel more sensitive, especially to the cool water. Tell us if anything is uncomfortable: we can take breaks and adjust how we work, and your dentist can discuss numbing options for deeper cleaning. For nervous patients, happy gas may be an option.
Bleeding during and after a clean
Some bleeding is common when gums are inflamed. It’s usually a sign of the inflammation the plaque and tartar were causing, rather than damage from the clean. With gentle, regular brushing and flossing, bleeding often settles over the following days to weeks. If it continues, let us know.
Sensitivity afterwards
Teeth can feel more sensitive to cold for a few days, particularly where tartar was covering the root surfaces. A toothpaste for sensitive teeth may help, and you can use over-the-counter pain relief, taken as directed on the pack, if it’s safe for you, for any gum tenderness. Sensitivity that doesn’t ease within a week or two is worth checking.
Who performs your clean?
Your clean is done by a dentist or an oral health therapist. Oral health therapists are registered dental practitioners trained in cleaning, preventive care and oral hygiene advice. They work with the dentist, who looks after your overall examination and treatment planning.
When a clean takes more than one visit
If you haven’t had a clean for a long time, or tartar has built up below the gumline because of gum disease, your dentist may suggest a deeper clean spread over more than one visit. This may be done one section of the mouth at a time, sometimes with local anaesthetic, followed by a review to see how your gums have responded. Any extra visits are explained and quoted first.
How often should you have one?
For most people, a professional clean every 6 to 12 months with their check-up is enough. Your dentist may suggest more frequent cleans if you have gum disease, build up tartar quickly, wear braces, have diabetes, or smoke or vape. Regular cleans are a key part of preventive dentistry, and if you’re new to our North Sydney practice you can check our new patient specials.
Aftercare tips
- Brush twice a day with a soft brush and fluoride toothpaste, and spit rather than rinse.
- Keep cleaning areas that bled, gently. Avoiding them tends to make bleeding last longer.
- Clean between your teeth once a day with floss or interdental brushes.
- Follow any advice your dentist gives about eating and drinking after fluoride.
If you have severe pain, swelling or a broken tooth, don’t wait for your next check-up: see a dentist promptly through our emergency dentist page. Call 000 or go to hospital if you have difficulty breathing or swallowing, or facial swelling that is spreading quickly.
Frequently asked questions
Does a scale and clean hurt?
Most people find it comfortable. You may feel vibration, pressure, scraping or brief sensitivity, especially if you have a lot of tartar. Let us know and we can take breaks or discuss numbing options.
Why do my gums bleed during a clean?
Bleeding usually means the gums are inflamed from plaque and tartar. It often settles over the following days to weeks as your gums heal, especially with regular brushing and flossing.
Can scaling damage my enamel?
Scaling is designed to remove deposits without harming healthy enamel. Some teeth may feel more sensitive for a few days where tartar has been removed from root surfaces.
Will a professional clean whiten my teeth?
A polish can remove surface stains from things like tea, coffee and red wine, which may make teeth look brighter. It doesn’t change the natural colour of your teeth.
Book your check-up
North Sydney Dentistry is at Level 1, Suite 102/71 Walker St, North Sydney, a two-minute walk from North Sydney station. We’re open Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm. Call (02) 8090 1108 or book online.
This article is general information only and is not a substitute for advice from your own dentist or doctor. Any surgical or invasive procedure carries risks. Before proceeding, you should seek a second opinion from an appropriately qualified health practitioner.