STAINS OF TEETH

are primarily esthetic problems

vary in type and difficulty of removal

Food, chemicals, and bacteria cause stains.
STAINS OF TEETH OCCUR IN THREE
BASIC WAYS:

 stain adheres directly to the surface of the tooth

 stain can be embedded in calculus and plaque deposits
stains is incorporated within the tooth structure.
EXTRINSIC STAINS are those that occur on the external surfaces
of the teeth and may be removed by scaling and /or polishing

INTRINSIC STAINS are those that occur within the enamel and
cannot be removed by polishing. intrinsic stains may be
ENDOGENOUS (occuring during tooth development), or they
may be EXOGENOUS (occuring after eruption)
METHODS OF REMOVING PLAQUE AND
STAIN
Every stain removal technique has the potential for damage by
removing a small amount of enamel from the surfaces of the
teeth being polished.

there is also the potential for injury to gingivae, therebefore

these techniques must always be carried out with the utmost
caution.
Two methods of stain removal are air powder polishing and the
rubber cup polishing technique
AIR POWDER POLISHING
The air powder polishing technique uses a specially designed
handpiece with a nozzle that delivers a high pressure stream of
warm water and sodium bicarbonate. The powder and water,
under high pressure, remove stain rapidly and efficiently, the
flow rate is adjusted to control the rate of abrasion.

RUBBER CUP POLISHING

Rubber cup polishing is th emost common technique for
removing stains and plaque and for polishing teeth. An abrasive
polishing agent is placed in a rubber polishing cup that rotated
slowly and carefully by a prophy angle attached to the slow-
speed handpiece