Measured diagram
How does an ultrasonic scaler remove tartar?
A close-up at the gum line on the tongue side, with a 1 mm scale. The side of the tip's last 1 to 2 mm, held close to parallel, chips the tartar away; it moves only hundredths of a millimetre.
What the drawing is measured from
- Using an ultrasonic tip: the side of the last 1 to 2 mm is held close to parallel to the tooth with light pressure (maker's instructions; root damage was least at angles close to 0 degrees, Flemmig 1998). The tip moves only about 5 to 44 micrometres (Lea 2003). DOI 1
- Two kinds of tartar: above the gum it is yellow-white, layered and about 37% mineral by volume; below the gum it is dark brown, uniform and about 58% mineral, usually a thin, smooth veneer on the root (Friskopp and Isacsson 1984; Woelfel; Gurgan and Bilgin 2005). DOI 2
- Tartar always carries plaque: a living film of plaque covers mineralised tartar deposits, above and below the gum. DOI 3
- The tooth: a lower central incisor in section, crown 9.5 mm and root 12.5 mm (Wheeler's Dental Anatomy, Table 7.1), with the lip side on the left. Pockets and openings are drawn slightly open so they can be seen; no number on the drawing is a measurement of one person.
Use this diagram
Free to use, including commercially, with credit.
This diagram is published under CC BY 4.0. You may reproduce it in articles, teaching material, presentations and patient information, print or online, without asking. The one condition is that you credit Dr. Khalid Aletaibi and link back to this page.
It is published this way on purpose. The measurement in this drawing is not something the people selling the treatment tend to publish, so it is more useful spread than kept.
Credit line
The tip at work. Dr. Khalid Aletaibi, CC BY 4.0. https://khalidaletaibi.com/en/diagrams/dental-cleaning-tip
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<img src="https://khalidaletaibi.com/figures/dental-cleaning-tip-en.svg" alt="The tip at work" width="100%">
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The tip at work. <a href="https://khalidaletaibi.com/en/diagrams/dental-cleaning-tip">Dr. Khalid Aletaibi</a>,
<a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY 4.0</a>
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