Scaling & Polishing

However well you brush, mineral deposits (tartar, or calculus) build up along and below the gumline in spots a brush can't reach — the inside of the lower front teeth and behind the last molars, most of all. Tartar is porous, bacteria-laden, and the direct cause of bleeding gums, bad breath and, left long enough, gum recession and bone loss around teeth. It cannot be brushed off; it must be professionally removed.

Scaling at CareWell uses a fine ultrasonic tip vibrating at high frequency with a water spray, which shells tartar off the enamel without cutting or scratching the tooth. Polishing follows with a soft rubber cup and mild paste, smoothing the surfaces so plaque struggles to re-attach. Where gum pockets are deeper, we perform full-mouth deep scaling and root planing over two visits, cleaning below the gumline under local anaesthesia — the standard first-line treatment for periodontitis.

Most adults need scaling every six months; tea, tobacco and diabetes push that to every four. It's also the standard first step before whitening, braces or any surgery — clean foundations first. The loose-teeth myth deserves a burial: scaling doesn't loosen teeth, it removes the hard deposits that were splinting already-loose teeth while quietly destroying their bone.