Q: I visited a dentist for cleaning of my teeth, since they had turned yellow due to smoking. The dentist did scaling (grinded with electric brush) to remove the stains. After that I felt that my teeth have lost their rigidity. Will this affect the strength of my teeth and gums? Is this the proper way to clean teeth?

A:Scaling is a routine procedure to remove the local deposits on teeth. However, if local stains are very deep seated due to smoking or other stains etc, scaling alone may not be effective. You may have to go in procedure like air polishing and even bleaching. Scaling does not loosen teeth. It merely removes the deposits and this may give a feeling of loose teeth due to removal of tartar. It is totally safe and acceptable treatment globally.