Halesowen Dental

36 Haden Hill Road | Halesowen | B63 3NQ

Airflow Tooth Polishing Explained

Published On: March 13th, 2020350 words1.8 min readCategories: General, TreatmentsTags: , , , ,

Do you have some stubborn stains that you can’t seem to shift? Or are you inbetween check ups with the dentist and would like a fresh feeling smile? Airflow might just be for you!

The best way to maintian your smile, is by coming in regularly for a scale and polish. But sometimes, what you eat and drink can cause staining and discolouration that not even a scale can remove.

Our Airflow tooth polishing treatment uses a powerful burst of air and fine powder to remove stubborn surface staining. and reach into areas between the teeth that can be otherwise awkward to reach.

It’s great for tea and coffee drinkers, curry eaters and smokers alike, all who tend to build up staining quicker than those who don’t indulge!

We sometimes use it when we are bonding a veneer or crown to a natural tooth. The airflow temporarily creates a rough surface on your tooth, which is great for making our crown cement stick! But this is also why we can’t use the airflow all the time. It makes the surface of the tooth rough by taking away a very fine layer of natural tooth. If we were to use it all the time, it would eventually wear away your enamel!

However, airflow is not a substitute for scaling. The ultrasonic scaler (that little device that we use that emits a funny noise and sprays lots of water) is able to reach under the gums and remove the plaque and calculus that inevitably builds up on everyone. Scaling and hand scaling are the only way to get rid of stubborn, hard calculus. So we always recommend the Airflow treatment be used in addition to your regular cleans with the dentist or hygienist.

You may also find that you need to have tooth whitening if you are still unhappy with the look of your teeth. Sometimes, the teeth can become so stained, that a course of whitening treatment may be the best option for you.

Please speak to your dentist, who will advise which treatment would be best for your specific needs.