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Scaling of teeth - by hand or Ultra sonic scaler

G

Geraint

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 26, 2006
Messages
448
I always preffer to have my teeth cleaned with the ultrasonic scaler although this is a bit noisy and a bit messy with the spray I find it more comfortable than having tartar scraped away by hand.Which method do you preffer or do they both unnerve you.
 
Re: Scaling of teeth - by hand or Ultra sonic scal

Definantly 100% prefer the ultra sonic scaler...that little thing is a gift from God lol. The hand tools were always soo painful and if you got a rough hygenist you might as well just shoot yourself then and there...the hand tools always made my gums bleed and they would be sore and red and puffy for days afterwards, that contributed somewhat to my fears to begin with as I always absolutley dreaded that part. The Ultrasonic doesn't seem to take as long either where the hand tools seemed like they scraped at them for hours...mine only uses the ulta sonic and I luv her for that!
 
Re: Scaling of teeth - by hand or Ultra sonic scal

I would like to refute my last post lol. Just recently I had a cleaning and my dentist hired a lovely new hygenist who uses BOTH methods during the same appt to clean the gums :o... but it was way different from what I remember. I didn't feel a thing with the handtools this time...She was really gentle and she stopped like every 5 minutes to ask me if I was ok which was nice cause I was cringing at the scraping sound but other then the sound I didn't mind it at all...I suppose I just had a really rough hygenist back then??? And here I thought that was the way it was supposed to be all dreaded and miserable lol ...just goes to show it depends on who you get... not what's going to be done ;)
 
Re: Scaling of teeth - by hand or Ultra sonic scal

kitkat said:
...just goes to show it depends on who you get... not what's going to be done  ;)

Couldn't agree more. I had always found handtools perfectly comfortable and then had a terrible time with a new hygienist using the ultrasonic scaler. For many years my dentist had just cleaned my teeth himself because he said I didn't get much plaque, then I changed and got a gentle hygienist with just the handtools, then ow, ow....moved house and got the awful one.....am now back to one who uses both; and even the ultrasonic one was 100% comfortable.
 
Re: Scaling of teeth - by hand or Ultra sonic scal

Couldn't agree more. I had always found handtools perfectly comfortable and then had a terrible time with a new hygienist using the ultrasonic scaler. For many years my dentist had just cleaned my teeth himself because he said I didn't get much plaque, then I changed and got a gentle hygienist with just the handtools, then ow, ow....moved house and got the awful one.....am now back to one who uses both; and even the ultrasonic one was 100% comfortable.
Hear hear! My current lady dentist actually gave me the choice but both of us prefer the ultrasonic. It really is down to the person and their technique; as I have mentioned elsewhere, my lady is so gentle with this procedure that it is now a pleasure and an indulgence and not some kind of interrogative torture! All dentists and moreover hygienists could learn from this.....
 
Honestly I havent had the ultrasonic cleaner yet but the hand tools are pretty fucking painful depending on how rough your hygenist is. My last cleaning left me so shaken up. Im dreading going back. They said this time I could get numbing but I.honestly dont think it would help with how rough.this person was going.
 
I can relate! Keeping my fingers crossed that your next hygienist will be a gentle one :).

There was an interesting letter by a hygienist in the British Dental Journal on the topic of pain vs non pain caused by dental hygienists recently: Hygienist appointments: Pain vs no pain
 
I can attest too, that the hygenist makes the difference for sure, I have had some brutal and merciless cleanings in my time to put it nicely.. that would make anyone run 100 mph from the dental office.. 2 years ago I found an angel hygenist, who is the best ever, absolutely gentle , kind woman, I was extremely nervous to put it mildly for my first root scaling and she made it like a trip to the bakery ( love chocolate). She was nice to visit with and didn't feel hardly a thing and my teeth felt much better after. Unfortunately my dentist left that office so they are not connected together and I don't know it makes sense to go back if I'm not going to use the other dentists and like where I'm at now.. but... I may consider it as good as she is. She is a total gem. It makes a huge difference !
 
I have less anxiety about the ultrasonic scaler as I have never really had a bad experience with it. I have had many bad experiences with hand scaling. I’m ok with hand scaling if my dentist is doing it but would be nervous with an unfamiliar person. I recently had a perio probing done and also had a bad past experience with that but with my dentist it was no big deal. She was quick and never hurt me. If you find a gentle person, keep them! They are worth their weight in gold!
 
I saw a video on youtube of this dentist in some european country and she was doing a supposedly painless cleaning with a laser. They even have lasers for cavities and im wondering why none of the dentists in my area.offer laser dentistry? It seems.way.less painful.
 
I saw a video on youtube of this dentist in some european country and she was doing a supposedly painless cleaning with a laser. They even have lasers for cavities and im wondering why none of the dentists in my area.offer laser dentistry? It seems.way.less painful.

Cost. I think it is very expensive plus would require more training on the dentist’s part. From what I have heard, cavities can only be repaired by laser when they are not very deep.
 
Honestly I havent had the ultrasonic cleaner yet but the hand tools are pretty fucking painful depending on how rough your hygenist is. My last cleaning left me so shaken up. Im dreading going back. They said this time I could get numbing but I.honestly dont think it would help with how rough.this person was going.
My heart goes out to you. Nobody should ever hurt with this procedure whatsoever; move to somebody else immediately if possible, and have a good chat with new suitors before going ahead with another cleaning. Even hand tools should cause very little and minimal sensation if they are being used professionally and sensitively. Good luck and hope your next session works out well for you. Simon XX
 
I would like to believe that comfort during a cleaning has nothing to do with the instrument used but with how gentle and caring the hygienist is (as the link posted by letsconnect suggests). The standard I know is to use the ultrasonic scaler first and then process with hand tools in the areas that need to get approached more gently, provided that it's ok for the patient. And of course having agreed on a stop signal and having a hygienist that is flexible enough to accomodate personal preferences.
My own preference at the moment is ultrasonic (provided I don't have to look at the dentist / hygienist preparing it).
 
I'm just wondering, and this seemed like a decent thread to ask, is it normal to get a couple of areas of bleeding the day after a dental cleaning? I had one yesterday morning and when cleaning my teeth in the evening and again today I had a very small amount of bleeding between a few teeth but there's been none prior. Shouldn't I have used interdental brushes straight away? I've only been using them for a week and don't really know... ?
Anyway to answer the question I much, much prefer ultrasonic cleaning, it really doesn't feel like someone is touching your teeth ?
 
A bit of bleeding is normal after a cleaning. The important thing is to keep on brushing and flossing (or using interdental brushes if that's what you like using) as usually. It is a bit counter intuitive as you might want to give the gums some time to recover, but if you keep on going with your usual oral care, the gums will get back to normal after few days.
 
A bit of bleeding is normal after a cleaning. The important thing is to keep on brushing and flossing (or using interdental brushes if that's what you like using) as usually. It is a bit counter intuitive as you might want to give the gums some time to recover, but if you keep on going with your usual oral care, the gums will get back to normal after few days.
That's reassuring, thank you ? I can't say I like the brushes that much but my new dentist prefers them over the air floss, they do seem to do a good job though ?
 
Just wanted to say that @Enarete 's comment/advice was absolutely correct, everything back to normal within two days, thanks for that
 
Glad to hear things are well with this RJayne!!
 
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