Tips for Stain Removal
We frequently encounter patients who present with extrinsic staining from sources such as coffee, tea, red wine, tobacco, or chlorhexidine. These stains can be removed by various techniques including scaling, rubber cup polishing, air-powder polishing, and bleaching. This task becomes more challenging in the presence of gingival recession. In such cases, it is important to select tools and techniques that remove the stain effectively while minimizing potential damage to the exposed root surface.
Scaling with hand instruments or ultrasonic scalers is an essential step in stain removal. This is important when the stain is embedded in calculus. Instrumentation can aid clinicians reach stains located in tight contacts and interproximal areas where they may not be able to reach by polishing.
* References and figures can be found in the original article via the link above.
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