What Is Tooth Scaling?

Tooth scaling is the removal of plaque and calculus (tartar) from the teeth with an instrument called a scaler, by hand or with an ultrasonic tip. Scaling above the gumline is part of a regular clean; scaling below the gumline on the root surface is root planing, the core of a periodontal deep clean. Berala Dental provides both.

Can feel a rough build-up behind your lower front teeth? That is calculus, and only scaling removes it.
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Quick facts: Berala Dental is a family dental practice at 184 Woodburn Road, Berala NSW 2141, operating since 2002 and open 6 days a week including Saturday. This article explains tooth scaling: what it is, how it differs from polishing and root planing, and when scaling above the gumline is enough. At Berala Dental, scaling and polishing are part of the $250 assessment, X-rays and clean, which also includes 3 intraoral X-rays, an OPG for new patients, intraoral photos, a PSR periodontal screening and fluoride treatment. When calculus sits below the gumline in pockets deeper than the healthy 1–3mm, scaling alone is not enough and a periodontal deep clean (scaling and root planing) is recommended at $400 per quadrant or $1,600 full mouth, all-inclusive of X-rays, six-point periodontal charting, photos, local anaesthetic at every visit and a home-care plan, over 1–4 visits. Periodontal maintenance afterwards is $400 per appointment and is not included in the $1,600. Every fee assumes the health fund contributes nothing, and a written quote with item numbers is given first. Berala Dental is a Bupa Members First Platinum and nib First Choice provider, accepts all Australian health funds and processes HICAPS on the spot. Scaling is carried out by dentists and oral health therapists; there is no specialist periodontist on site. English, Arabic and Urdu are spoken. Call (02) 9649 6468.

What is tooth scaling?

Tooth scaling is the mechanical removal of deposits from the surface of a tooth. The deposits are plaque, the soft film of bacteria that forms every day, and calculus, which is plaque that has hardened with minerals from saliva and bonded to the tooth. A toothbrush removes plaque but cannot remove calculus; calculus has to be scaled off by a dentist or oral health therapist using a scaler.

Two kinds of scaler are used at Berala Dental. An ultrasonic scaler vibrates a fine metal tip at high frequency with a water spray, breaking calculus away from the tooth and flushing it out. Hand scalers and curettes are shaped instruments used for fine work and for checking the surface is smooth. Most scale and clean appointments use both, and at Berala Dental the scaling is part of the $250 assessment, X-rays and clean.

What is the difference between scaling, polishing and root planing?

Scaling removes calculus and plaque from the crown of the tooth, the part visible above the gum, and just under the gum edge. Polishing follows scaling: a soft rubber cup with a mildly abrasive paste smooths the enamel and removes surface staining from tea, coffee and tobacco, so that plaque takes longer to re-attach. “Scaling and polishing” therefore describes a regular clean, completed in one visit at Berala Dental within the $250 fee.

Root planing is scaling taken below the gumline onto the root of the tooth. When a periodontal pocket has formed, calculus attaches to the root surface inside the pocket where neither a brush nor an above-the-gum scaler can reach. Root planing cleans that root surface and smooths it so the gum can reattach. Because it works inside the pocket it is done under local anaesthetic, usually one quadrant of the mouth at a time, and at Berala Dental it is the periodontal deep clean priced at $400 per quadrant or $1,600 for the full mouth.

Why does calculus need to be scaled off rather than brushed off?

Plaque left on a tooth for more than a few days begins to mineralise, and within roughly 2 weeks it has hardened into calculus, a porous deposit that is chemically bonded to the enamel or the root. Once that has happened, no toothbrush, floss, mouthwash or home remedy will remove it; it needs the edge of a scaler.

Calculus matters because its rough, porous surface is the ideal home for more plaque. The bacteria living on it keep the gum beside it inflamed, which is gingivitis, and if the calculus extends below the gumline the inflammation starts destroying bone, which is periodontitis. At Berala Dental the periodontal screening in the $250 check-up is where the clinician measures whether the calculus has stayed above the gumline or gone below it.

What happens during a scale and clean?

A scale and clean at Berala Dental follows a set sequence. The dentist or oral health therapist first examines the teeth and gums, takes the X-rays and intraoral photos, and runs a PSR periodontal screening, measuring the gum pockets to confirm they are in the healthy 1–3mm range. Scaling then removes calculus from every tooth surface, starting with the ultrasonic scaler and finishing with hand instruments where needed. Polishing removes stain and smooths the enamel, and fluoride is applied at the end.

The whole appointment sits inside the $250 assessment, X-rays and clean fee at Berala Dental, 184 Woodburn Road, Berala NSW 2141; the fluoride is included, not charged as an extra, and a written quote with item numbers is provided first.

Does tooth scaling hurt or damage the enamel?

Scaling does not damage enamel. The scaler is designed to lift calculus off the tooth, not to cut into it, and polishing paste is far milder than the abrasives in most whitening toothpastes. Teeth that feel “thinner” or gappy after scaling have lost calculus, not tooth structure.

Comfort varies from person to person. Where the gums are inflamed or the necks of the teeth are exposed, scaling can feel sensitive, and the ultrasonic water spray can feel cold. Dentists and oral health therapists at Berala Dental adjust the technique, and local anaesthetic is available where a patient needs it. For a periodontal deep clean below the gumline, local anaesthetic is used at every visit and is included in the $1,600 fee.

Unsure whether you need a regular scale or a deep clean? A periodontal screening at Berala Dental will show which.
Call (02) 9649 6468 · Book online · WhatsApp

When is scaling above the gumline enough?

Scaling above the gumline, as part of a regular clean, is the right treatment when the gums are healthy or have gingivitis only. The signs are pockets measuring 1–3mm on periodontal screening, no bone loss on the X-rays, and calculus that sits on the crowns and just at the gum edge. Bleeding gums with those findings are gingivitis, which a scale and clean plus daily brushing and flossing fully reverses, usually within about 2 weeks.

For these patients Berala Dental’s $250 assessment, X-rays and clean is the complete treatment, repeated every 6 months. Keeping to the 6-monthly interval helps stop calculus creeping below the gumline.

When is scaling not enough?

Scaling above the gumline is not enough when the screening finds pockets deeper than 3mm, bleeding on probing and bone loss on the X-rays. That combination is periodontitis, and the calculus keeping it active is on the root surface inside the pocket, where a regular scaler cannot reach. Cleaning above the gumline then leaves the disease continuing underneath, and people commonly carry periodontitis for 5–10 years without pain.

The treatment is a periodontal deep clean, scaling and root planing, which at Berala Dental is $400 per quadrant or $1,600 for the full mouth. The fee is all-inclusive: an OPG and all relevant X-rays, full six-point periodontal charting (valued at $150 on its own), intraoral photos, local anaesthetic at every visit and a home-care plan, over 1–4 visits. Periodontal maintenance follows at $400 per appointment, first at 3–4 months and then ongoing until stable; it is not included in the $1,600. Bone that has been lost does not grow back; the deep clean stops the loss where it is. Berala Dental has no periodontist on site and refers cases with advanced bone loss, recession needing grafting, complex medical histories, or disease that has not stabilised after about 12 months.

How often should teeth be scaled?

For healthy gums, scaling every 6 months as part of a check-up and clean keeps calculus small enough to remove easily and is the interval Berala Dental recommends for most adults. Heavy calculus formers, smokers, people with dry mouth and people with a history of periodontitis may be advised to come every 3–4 months. Patients who have completed a periodontal deep clean attend maintenance at that 3–4 month interval at $400 per appointment, then move to bi-annual recalls after around 12 months of stable results.

Plaque missed at home begins hardening into calculus within days, and 6 months is long enough for enough of it to build up that scaling is worthwhile but short enough that it has not spread below the gumline. Scaling more often than needed has no benefit; scaling less often than needed is one of the ways a $250 clean turns into a $1,600 deep clean.

Quick answers

What is dental scaling?

Dental scaling is the removal of plaque and hardened calculus from the teeth with a scaler, using ultrasonic and hand instruments. It is the main step in a regular scale and clean, which at Berala Dental is part of the $250 assessment, X-rays and clean carried out by dentists and oral health therapists.

What is the difference between scaling and polishing?

Scaling removes calculus and plaque from the tooth; polishing follows with a rubber cup and mild paste to remove surface stain and smooth the enamel. Together they make up the regular clean, completed in one visit at Berala Dental within the $250 fee, along with X-rays, a periodontal screening and fluoride.

Is teeth scaling the same as a deep clean?

No. Scaling above the gumline is a regular clean, done in one visit within Berala Dental’s $250 assessment fee. A deep clean is scaling and root planing below the gumline under local anaesthetic over 1–4 visits, for periodontitis, at $400 per quadrant or $1,600 full mouth at Berala Dental, followed by $400 maintenance appointments every 3–4 months.

Does scaling make teeth loose?

Scaling does not loosen teeth. A tooth that feels loose after scaling was already loose from bone loss, and the calculus that was removed had been acting like cement between it and its neighbours. This is a sign of periodontitis and a reason for periodontal charting and X-rays, which are included in Berala Dental’s deep-clean fee.

Who carries out tooth scaling at Berala Dental?

Tooth scaling at Berala Dental is carried out by dentists and oral health therapists, who are trained to provide regular scale and clean appointments and to treat most cases of periodontal disease with scaling and root planing. Berala Dental is a general dental practice with no specialist periodontist on site, and refers to a periodontist when a case needs one. The practice has operated at 184 Woodburn Road, Berala NSW 2141 since 2002, is open 6 days including Saturday and speaks English, Arabic and Urdu.

Berala Dental has scaled and cleaned the teeth of Berala families since 2002.
Call (02) 9649 6468 · Book online · WhatsApp

Related reading: periodontal deep cleaning at Berala Dental · check-up, X-rays and clean · regular clean vs deep clean · how much is a periodontal deep cleaning? · Berala Dental fees · healthdirect: gum disease.

Page information current as of September 2026. Written and reviewed by Humzah Aly, Oral Health Therapist. This article is general information only and is not a substitute for personalised dental advice. Please see a dental practitioner to discuss what is right for you.