What is Oral Prophylaxis?
Oral Prophylaxis is the thorough scaling and polishing of your teeth surfaces above, between and under the gums.
Scaling removes the hard tartar which forms on your teeth like scale inside a kettle. You can’t remove it just by brushing your teeth. Scaling also removes trapped food and plaque containing millions of germs which can cause tooth decay and gum disease. Stains from coffee, tea, cigarettes or red wine are also cleaned away when your Philippine dentist polishes your teeth.
There are two ways to scale teeth.
- Hand scalers – these come in different sizes and shapes, to reach different parts of your teeth. This is why you will see the dentist or hygienist changing instruments quite often.
- Electric scalers – these use very fast vibration with water. The water is sucked out of the mouth. A hand scaler is used to check whether the teeth are completely clean.
For polishing, your dentist in Makati will use a rotating brush or rubber polisher with a special toothpaste.
Scaling cleans above and below the gums. If you have gum disease, scaling needs to be deeper, around the roots of the teeth.
Your Makati dentist will tell you about the best way to clean your teeth and gums thoroughly at home.
What are the benefits?
* If your gums bleed when you brush, you may have early gum disease. Regular scaling helps to stop the disease getting worse
* Gum disease can cause bad breath (whew!), which you can prevent by regular scaling and cleaning your teeth thoroughly at home.
* Regular scaling and polishing by a Philippine dentist helps keep your teeth and gums healthy by making it easier for you to keep your teeth clean at home. You should see and feel the difference.