By Aspen Dental
WHAT IS AN ULTRASONIC SCALER?
Sometime in your life, your hygienist may use an instrument called an ultrasonic to clean your teeth. This is nothing to be nervous about, it is a wonderful tool! Traditional scalers have a flat face and two “cutting edges” to remove plaque and tartar by scraping the instrument along the tooth surface. An Ultrasonic tip doesn’t have a cutting edge and it’s not sharp, it vibrates and sprays water so when it contacts tarter, the debris will simply shatter and be “blasted” off the tooth. The spraying of water helps to keep the tip from overheating and washes bacteria out from the pockets. Every hygienist has a different protocol for what patients they think “need” the ultrasonic. It is not right or wrong to use the ultrasonic on every patient or none of them. What matters is that all plaque and tartar is removed, which can be accomplished with a combination of the ultrasonic and hand scalers or just hand scalers. If you as a patient have a preference, please let us know!! We treat each patient individually and want to make your experience the best it can be.
