How Much Do You Know About Burnished Calculus?

If we don’t use sufficient power, proper adaptation, and appropriate stroke when performing ultrasonic instrumentation, the dreaded burnished calculus will result. See how well versed you are in this common oral hygiene problem.

By The Editors On Oct 4, 2018 0

Thin ultrasonic inserts/tips (UITs) used at low power settings can rapidly burnish the outer surface of the calculus without removing it.

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Partially scaled burnished calculus left on root surfaces becomes a reservoir for periodontal pathogens.

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Burnished calculus is easy to feel tactilely, making it simple to detect.

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The one reliable clue that burnished calculus is present is bleeding on probing.

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The terminal 0.5 mm of the UIT must be held in contact with the root surface as it progresses around the dentition.

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Activation—the manner in which the UIT is moved across the root surface—is also important to the success of ultrasonic instrumentation.

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Ultrasonic therapy provides major ergonomic and therapeutic advantages, but it must not be misconstrued as easy or fast.