Professional Dental Cleaning

A professional dental cleaning is a procedure usually accomplished by a dental hygienist in order to eliminate deposits and stains on teeth that could lead to infection.

It is usually done in two steps: scaling and polishing of the teeth.


Scaling : scale, or tartar, is made of mineralized biofilm that adheres to the surfaces of the roots of the teeth. Very hard and rough, it retains a film of bacteria on its surface which must be removed ideally as soon as it is formed. The dental hygienist uses scalers and ultrasonic appliances to eliminate the tartar and plane the roots of the teeth so they can become smooth again..

We find that people who lack magnesium often accumulate more tartar than others on their teeth. Supplementing with magnesium glycinate often reestablishes mineral balance and reduces tartar formation.


Tooth polishing is done once the tartar is removed with a jet of sodium bicarbonate and water or with a rubber cup and pumice.

The objective of polishing is to remove stains on the surface of the tooth to ensure it is smooth and will resist better to bacteria and stains.

Frequency of professional dental cleanings will vary according to the rate of tartar build-up in each client's particular situation and mineral balance.