When you visit Sierra Oaks Dental for your regular cleaning and exam or scaling and root planing, our dentist may use our ultrasonic scaler in Sacramento, California, to remove the plaque and tartar that can cause so many problems for your smile. To plan your visit with Dr. Peter Kim for a cleaner, healthier smile, call (916) 481-2000 today.
What Are Ultrasonic Scalers?
Scalers are common dental tools used to remove plaque and tartar that has built up on teeth. Traditional scalers are manual while ultrasonic scalers are powered to provide quick vibrating motions, allowing even more removal of plaque build-up. During your routing cleaning or periodontal maintenance with our team, you will probably notice us using an ultrasonic scaler to give your teeth the freshest shine possible.
Why Opt for Ultrasonic Scaling?
Scaling is always an important part of dental care because plaque can be very stubborn and stick to your teeth no matter how well or frequently you brush. As you eat and drink, food debris will stick to your teeth, eventually leading to a build-up of bacteria and plaque. If the plaque is not removed quickly enough, it will harden into tartar, which is more difficult to remove. While brushing at home will reduce the amount of tartar build-up, it is impossible to completely avoid tartar. This is why we provide a scaling treatment during your routine appointment. Only the right tool can clear away tartar build-up, and an ultrasonic scaler can provide improved results over a traditional scaler.
Benefits of Ultrasonic Scaling
Ultrasonic scalers can make your treatment more comfortable and efficient. Ultrasonic scalers can remove more plaque than manual scalers due to the way they vibrate, leaving your teeth cleaner and healthier. Removing plaque and tartar will help keep your smile free from decay and disease. Further, the treatment can greatly improve your experience with our team since ultrasonic scaling is often more comfortable than traditional scaling, and it is also easier for our team to operate, meaning your treatment can be quicker.
Process of Receiving Ultrasonic Scaling
We will perform an ultrasonic scaling treatment during your routine cleaning and possibly as part of other treatments. We will scrape each tooth with the ultrasonic scaler and remove tartar or plaque build-up, including below the gumline. The ultrasonic scaler does create noise due to the vibrations, but it is generally not loud or distressing for patients. You may feel the vibrations during your scaling treatment, but it should not cause any discomfort, and anesthetic is not needed. We will inform you of the amount of tartar build-up we clear away and give you tips for how you can avoid as much build-up as possible at home.
Cost of Ultrasonic Scaling
Ultrasonic scaling is usually included in the cost of a routine dental cleaning, but the cost may vary based on the treatment being performed and the amount of tartar and plaque being removed. In particular, it will depend on whether periodontal disease is present. We will go over any costs with you beforehand.
If you are interested in learning more about how we use ultrasonic scalers at our practice, please give our office a call today! We would be happy to show you the scalers in action.
