132 Where There Is No Dentist 2012
4. Hold the end tight against the side of the tooth and pull the scaler.
Try to break free as much tartar as possible at once. It is a bad idea to
remove the tartar a bit at a time, because the remaining tartar becomes
smooth and harder to scrape away.
1. Tighten your fingers on
the scaler.
2. Pull the scaler with a
firm short stroke.
ALWAYS KEEP THE TIP OF
THE SCALER ON THE TOOTH—
NOT POKING THE GUM.
3. Wipe the end of the
scaler with cotton gauze.
4. Press against the gums to
stop the bleeding.
5. Check to be sure the tooth is smooth.
With your probe, feel under the gum
for any place that is still rough.
When all the sides of the tooth feel
smooth, move to the next tooth.
Do not hurry. It is more important to take your time and carefully
remove all the tartar. If the person has a lot of tartar, scale only half
the mouth now. Do the other half on another day, as soon as the
person can return.
Finally, make the tooth look clean. Use the sharp edge of either scaler.
Scrape away the dark material on the front and back sides of the tooth.
The tooth itself has not turned dark. It is just a
stain. People most often get these stains when
they eat meat, drink tea or smoke tobacco.
You can scrape away this old food and uncover
the white tooth. But remember: the teeth will
turn dark again if not cleaned carefully every day.