We all must have at least gone to the dentist once to get our teeth cleaned, or to ask our dentist to clean the yellow stains on the teeth. Most famously, people ask me to make their teeth white and bright.
What you must have experienced could be what we call ultrasonic scaling. It is irritating to the teeth, gives the patient sensitivity, and the constant screeching sound of the instrument is uncomfortable for the patient.
Say hi to Guided Biofilm Therapy, which is now used widely to clean the teeth by the use of air-water-powder systems. It helps remove supragingival plaque, which is food dirt, bacterial deposits, and debris above the gum line, and also subgingival plaque, which is food dirt and bacterial deposits below the gum line. What it does most importantly is also remove discoloration and stains on the teeth, both old/mature stains as well as newly developed stains. We use something called a disclosing agent on the teeth to expose the unseen stains that make the teeth yellow or look stained.
• Air – High-speed air is used from the device handpiece, which helps the cleaning powders to uniformly spread throughout the teeth to be cleaned.
• Water – The water used is also optimized so that the teeth are not damaged; usually, water close to 40 °C is used in the jet to prevent any sensitivity.
• Powders – Powders ranging from small particle size to large particle size are used depending on the severity of stains, deposits, and patient condition. Some of the examples are:
- Aluminium trihydroxide
- Bicarbonate
- Erythritol
- Bioglass
- Glycine-based powders
Advantages:
- Less tooth sensitivity
- Protects hard and soft tissues better
- Protects orthodontic braces and appliances
- Since a patented laminar flow technology is used by the cleaning device, better cleaning efficiency with minimal discomfort to the patient is possible.
What do you think about GBT ? How do you find the experience of ultrasonic scaling? Irritating? Or comfortable?
MBH/AB