What Is Tooth Polishing?

Tooth polishing means that after the teeth are cleaned on the gums, use a polisher, such as a rubber cup wheel, to place it on the head of a mobile phone bender, dipped in polishing paste or toothpaste, and rub at low speed to polish the teeth.

Tooth polishing

Tooth polishing means that after the teeth are cleaned on the gums, use a polisher, such as a rubber cup wheel, to place it on the head of a mobile phone bender, dipped in polishing paste or toothpaste, and rub at low speed to polish the tooth surface.

Western Medicine Name

Tooth polishing

English name

Dental polishing

Affiliated Department

Department of Physiology-Stomatology

Main cause

Teeth on the gums

After cleaning, the tooth surface is rough or scratched, and the tooth surface must be polished. Because after cleaning, the study believes that the cavitation of the ultrasonic dental scaler can cause tooth surface corrosion, and a gap-shaped surface with a size of 0.66 mm appears. Therefore, after cleaning, the tooth surface is not smooth, and there are often leftover pigments and fine calculus that are difficult to distinguish with the naked eye. Under the catalysis of calcium salts in saliva, calculus will deposit faster than before, and must be softer. Polisher (rubber wheel or cup-shaped brush) dipped in polishing paste on the tooth surface to slowly polish, remove scratches, make the tooth surface smooth and free of nicks, and plaque is not easy to accumulate. Irregular gingival cleansing is usually done only in the early stage of tooth cleaning, and the step of polishing the tooth surface is omitted. In this way, plaque is easy to re-form, and not polishing after cleaning is one of the main reasons that patients often complain that the more they clean their teeth, the more easily tartar will form. For severe inflammation, cleaning and polishing can be performed in stages.

When polishing, place the rubber wheel (cup) on the low-speed mobile phone, dip the polishing agent such as polishing paste or toothpaste on the tooth surface, apply a little pressure to push the thin edge of the rubber cup under the gums, and half-press the pedal , Rotate at low speed, imbricate forward, polish the tooth surface.

Some scholars used Medline and other databases and manually retrieved 1981/2011 related literature on polishing after ultrasonic cleaning. According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 6 clinical controlled experiments were selected for quality assessment. Taking the plaque index as the unified research result, the literatures were balancedly tested, and the data of each literature were combined for statistical analysis. Meta analysis results show that the ultrasonic polishing treatment can effectively remove pigments, improve the cleanliness and smoothness of the tooth surface, and is not conducive to the re-attachment of plaque and pigments, which in turn will help control gum inflammation and maintain periodontal treatment.

The main component of the polishing agent is sodium bicarbonate fine particles. Some finished products contain low concentrations of fluoride. Toothpaste or powder can also be used instead. Studies have confirmed that the use of polishing pastes containing desensitizing ingredients has a certain effect on immediate improvement of dentin sensitivity.

The polished focus area is consistent with the plaque-controlled focus area, both in the gingival margin and adjacent teeth. After the gingival margin and the adjacent surface of the tooth are sufficiently polished, the tooth surface can be ensured to be smooth, and the redeposition of plaque in these two parts can be avoided, thereby preventing the occurrence and recurrence of gum inflammation.

When polishing, always keep the polishing agent slippery to reduce the heat generated when the rubber cup rotates and rubs. Excessive polishing can also remove the thinner cementum of the tooth neck. Cup-shaped brushes are stiff and are only used for dental crowns to avoid damaging cementum and gums. ^[1-4]