Scale & Polish

lisa701

Apologies for posting this here but I wasnt too sure which board to post this on.

My dentist has said I need to have a scale & polish done. He says its Ok and doesnt hurt but I've heard horror stories about it hurting like hell and people being left with bleeding gums and in once case having to start a course of antibiotics because their gums were left bleeding so badly there was a risk of infection.

Anyone here know what I should expect? Are these horror stories true? I'm considering cancelling the appointment.

Thanks

DUTR

Don't cancel, basically they brush and floss your gnashers, use a high water pressure to clean some areas, it is minimum discomfort.

CupOfChai

It doesn't hurt. I find it a bit uncomfortable sometimes, but that's only because it's cold and I have sensitive teeth. Really, it's completely fine.

brook2jack

Most people in this country will lose teeth because of gum disease rather than decay. Your hygiene visit is to try to get you on the path to healthier gums. If gums bleed it's because they are inflammed ,it's not the scaling that causes it.

To get the most out of your session take your tooth brush with you to check your cleaning technique and get your flossing , tepe brush technique checked as well and then you will not need a scale and polish visit again if your cleaning is effective and your gums will be nice and healthy.

Fuzzy_Duck

It's not that bad. It's more of an unpleasant sensation but it doesn't take long and it's worth it in the end.

HeadAboveWater

I'm just back from a trip to the dentist. No pain. No discomfort. No unpleasantness. No worries

lisa701

Thanks for all your replies. I did express my concerns to the dentist who told me it doesnt hurt, but they always say that lol

Seriously though, he said they have a new machine which uses warm water which is much better. Think I will keep the appointment and just see how it goes. If I do suffer from any pain I will just tell them to stop.

thanks again.

heartbreak_star

It doesn't hurt. I didn't go to the dentist for years (keep all my checkups now though!) and I was wondering if it would hurt the first time as I had a fair bit of tartar, but it was fine

HBS x

Katiehound

The place it hurt most was the bank balance! Joking apart it isn't the most pleasant sensation but the only 'ouch' moment resulted in flouride being painted on where gum is starting to recede.

barbiedoll

My 15 year old had his first scale and polish last week (only on his front lower teeth where he hasn't been brushing so well) and he was fine with it.

It's the first time that he has had any "treatment" and he was quite pleased with himself for coping so well. If it had hurt, I would have known all about it afterwards!

lisa701

Well I had it done yesterday afternoon and it wasnt as bad as expected. It was a bit sensitive in areas but only for a few moments, and the fact I still need a couple of fillings meant the water spray caused a bit of sensitivity but otherwise it was ok.

I've also got nice white teeth now - not that they were yellow beforehand, but they do look much whiter now.

Thanks everyone