{"id":45897,"date":"2023-11-27T11:44:06","date_gmt":"2023-11-27T18:44:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mynewsmile.com\/blog\/?p=45897"},"modified":"2023-11-27T11:51:27","modified_gmt":"2023-11-27T18:51:27","slug":"ultrasonic-scaler-damage-veneers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mynewsmile.com\/blog\/ultrasonic-scaler-damage-veneers\/","title":{"rendered":"Did the ultrasonic scaler damage my veneers?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Dr. Hall,<br \/>\nI have had three cleanings with a magnetostrictive ultrasonic cleaner and had both upper lateral incisors with veneers fracture within days of the clean. How common is this? Is one type of scaler more likely to fracture teeth than others. What companies manufacture this equipment?<br \/>\n&#8211; Peter Andrew Grant<\/p>\n<p>(See Dr. Hall&#8217;s answer below.)<\/p>\n<div class=\"responsive-post-content\">\n<div class=\"post-left-column\"><script>\/\/ <![CDATA[ (function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = \"\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/all.js#xfbml=1\"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); }(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk')); \/\/ ]]><\/script><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: small;\">We thank our advertisers who help fund this site.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<!-- Square for mns blog - 2020 --><br \/>\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display: block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-4419877247826466\" data-ad-slot=\"6484616093\" data-ad-format=\"auto\" data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins><br \/>\n<script>\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\n<\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"post-right-column\">\n<p>Comment by Dr. Hall,<br \/>\nThere are two types of ultrasonic scalers &#8211; piezoelectric and magnetostrictive. The company that makes the most popular magnetostrictive scaler is Dentsply and the machine is called a Cavitron. It is the original ultrasonic scaler and has been around for decades. While in some ways it is gentler than the piezoelectric scaler, it is more technique sensitive in that it has greater potential for damaging your teeth or your dental work. In the hands of the right hygienist, it should not cause any problems with your veneers. I addressed this in my post, Is the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mynewsmile.com\/blog\/is-the-cavitron-safe-for-use-with-porcelain-veneers\/\">Cavitron safe for porcelain veneers<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>What I address in that post is the possibility of chipping the margins of the veneer. But you had your veneers crack, or rather fracture. To get that to happen, I&#8217;m guessing that the hygienist would have to use the tip of the scaler on the surface of the porcelain, which would be a big no-no. These ultrasonic scalers are great tools when used properly. When not used properly it might be more appropriate to call them weapons.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_46589\" style=\"width: 430px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-46589\" class=\"wp-image-46589\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mynewsmile.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/fractured-porcelain-veneer.jpg\" alt=\"Photo of a tooth showing half of the porcelain veneer fractured off.\" width=\"420\" height=\"266\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mynewsmile.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/fractured-porcelain-veneer.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.mynewsmile.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/fractured-porcelain-veneer-300x190.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 420px) 100vw, 420px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-46589\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A fractured porcelain veneer. Image courtesy of No.1 Dental Clinic, H\u1ed3 Ch\u00ed Minh City, Vietnam<\/p><\/div>\n<p>I wouldn&#8217;t stay in a dental office where the hygienist caused damage like this. He or she needs to be in complete control of the instrument and aware of the damage it could cause. Other significant damage from an improperly used ultrasonic scaler would be creating nicks or rough areas in the roots of the teeth which will end up attracting plaque and calculus and, over the years, could lead to gum disease or decay.<\/p>\n<p>For a comparison of piezoelectric and magnetostrictive scalers, I cite a study published in the Journal of Clinical Periodontology <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/11422585\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">comparing piezoelectric and magnetostrictive scalers<\/a> which concluded that the magnetostrictive scaler, while it took longer, left the root surface smoother.<\/p>\n<p>Another excellent article that interprets these results in a more understandable way is found in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tempstars.com\/cavitron-vs-piezo\/\">a site for dental hygienists<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>See also my page that has a list of things a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mynewsmile.com\/porcelain-veneer-care.htm\">dental hygienist needs to do to properly care for your porcelain veneers<\/a>. My advice, if you have veneers, is to have even your maintenance done at an office that has an emphasis on esthetic dentistry because they will train their hygienists in these points.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Dr. Hall<\/p>\n<p>Do you have a comment or anything else to add? We&#8217;d love to hear from you. Enter your comment below. Or click here to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mynewsmile.com\/askdr.htm\">ask Dr. Hall a question.<\/a><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: currentColor; width: 450px; height: 80px; overflow: hidden;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/plugins\/like.php?href=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mynewsmile.com&amp;layout=standard&amp;show_faces=true&amp;width=450&amp;action=like&amp;colorscheme=light&amp;height=80\" width=\"300\" height=\"150\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Dr. Hall, I have had three cleanings with a magnetostrictive ultrasonic cleaner and had both upper lateral incisors with veneers fracture within days of the clean. How common is this? Is one type of scaler more likely to fracture teeth than others. What companies manufacture this equipment? &#8211; Peter Andrew Grant (See Dr. Hall&#8217;s answer [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":46589,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[837,188,1168,682,1428,1427,327],"class_list":{"0":"post-45897","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-porcelain-veneers","8":"tag-cavitron-damage","9":"tag-cracked-porcelain-veneer","10":"tag-dental-hygienist","11":"tag-dental-hygienist-damage-porcelain-veneers","12":"tag-magnetostrictive-scaler","13":"tag-piezoelectric-scaler","14":"tag-ultrasonic-scalers","15":"entry"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Did the ultrasonic scaler damage my veneers? - Cosmetic Dentistry Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Peter had two porcelain veneers fracture after cleanings with an ultrasonic scaler. Dr. Hall explains what the hygienist did wrong.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mynewsmile.com\/blog\/ultrasonic-scaler-damage-veneers\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Did the ultrasonic scaler damage my veneers? - Cosmetic Dentistry Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Peter had two porcelain veneers fracture after cleanings with an ultrasonic scaler. 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Hall","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4615c869fad982a8b037801e6bd5181b104e67228b9c0525d2ad490de1e7b78e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4615c869fad982a8b037801e6bd5181b104e67228b9c0525d2ad490de1e7b78e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4615c869fad982a8b037801e6bd5181b104e67228b9c0525d2ad490de1e7b78e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"David A. Hall"},"description":"Dr. David A. Hall was one of the first 40 accredited cosmetic dentists in the world. He practiced cosmetic dentistry in Iowa, and in 1990 earned his accreditation with the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. He is now president of Infinity Dental Web, a company in Mesa, Arizona that does advanced internet marketing for dentists.","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.infinitydentalweb.com"]}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mynewsmile.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45897","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mynewsmile.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mynewsmile.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mynewsmile.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mynewsmile.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45897"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.mynewsmile.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45897\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":46590,"href":"https:\/\/www.mynewsmile.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45897\/revisions\/46590"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mynewsmile.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/46589"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mynewsmile.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45897"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mynewsmile.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45897"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mynewsmile.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45897"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}