West Caldwell, NJ
Air polishing cleans your teeth with a fine jet of warm water, air, and a gentle powder that lifts plaque, biofilm, and coffee and tea stains, including below the gumline and around implants. At Magid Dental Care it is part of every cleaning with our hygienist, Jennifer, at no extra charge, and it suits sensitive teeth, implants, and veneers well.
Air Polishing
Air polishing cleans teeth with a controlled spray. A slim handpiece delivers warm water, compressed air, and a very fine powder that lifts biofilm, soft plaque, and surface stain from the enamel, the grooves of the back teeth, the spaces between teeth, and just below the gumline. Biofilm is the sticky film of bacteria that hardens into tartar and contributes to both decay and gum disease, so removing it thoroughly is a main goal of every cleaning. The spray reaches areas that are difficult to polish by other means.
At our office, air polishing is the standard finish to every cleaning, not an add-on. Jennifer first removes any hardened tartar, which a spray cannot loosen, then air polishes every surface, adjusting the spray for sensitive teeth, gum recession, implants, or veneers. Your checkup with Dr. David Magid, DMD, follows on the same schedule, and new patients have a comprehensive exam with him first, with the cleaning booked separately. Air polishing is part of our general and family dentistry, alongside checkups, cleanings, and gum disease treatment.
It improves a regular cleaning rather than replacing it. Tartar still has to be scaled off, because it is hardened to the tooth. Air polishing then removes the biofilm and stain that remain, gently and from places a polishing cup cannot easily reach, such as between the teeth, below the gumline, around implants, and under bridges. Many patients find their teeth feel smooth afterward and the visit more comfortable.
You do not have to choose between the two. Every cleaning includes scaling where it is needed and air polishing to finish, at no extra charge.
A Different Dental Experience
A familiar hygienist knows your teeth, your sensitive spots, and your implants from one visit to the next, and the dentist who examines you is the one who treats you.
Dental Hygienist
More than 25 years in dentistry, with advanced training in digital scanning, diode lasers, CBCT, and nitrous oxide. She performs your cleanings, scaling first and air polishing to finish, and adjusts the spray for sensitive teeth, implants, and veneers.
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DMD, General Dentist
A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine with more than 25 years in practice. He examines your teeth and gums at your checkup, and every cleaning here finishes with air polishing as standard.
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Office Manager
The first voice you hear and the one who books your cleanings on their own schedule after your first exam, checks what your plan pays toward them, and explains our membership plan, which includes two cleanings a year. Trained in dental assisting at Felician University.
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Who It Helps
Cleanings can feel sharp on an exposed root or thin enamel. Air polishing uses warm water and a spray rather than pressure, so exposed roots and receded gums are cleaned gently, and we turn the spray down further wherever you feel it.
Surface stain from coffee, tea, red wine, and smoking sits in the biofilm and in the fine texture of the enamel, where it is hard to reach with other polishing. The spray lifts it from between the teeth and along the gumline, which is why teeth look brighter after air polishing without any bleaching. Professional whitening is the option for a deeper shade change.
Air polishing can shorten the polishing step, which means less time with your mouth open and less vibration. That helps if you have a sore jaw, neck stiffness, or simply years of disliking the chair.
Biofilm collects around Invisalign attachments, brackets, and wires, where a brush can miss it. The spray cleans around them without disturbing them, which helps reduce the white marks that can appear after orthodontic treatment.
After scaling and root planing, keeping the pockets below the gumline clear of biofilm helps keep gum disease from returning. Air polishing reaches a few millimeters below the gumline with a gentle spray, so maintenance cleanings can be more thorough and comfortable.
Our Process
Step 1
Jennifer checks your gums, notes any sensitive teeth, recession, implants, veneers, or orthodontic attachments, and asks about your health history, because the powder and the spray are chosen to suit you. New patients have a comprehensive exam with Dr. Magid first, and the cleaning is booked as its own visit.
Step 2
Hardened tartar above and below the gumline is removed with instruments, because no spray can lift it once it has set. On teeth with little tartar this step is short, and on others it is most of the visit. It is the part air polishing then makes more complete.
Step 3
The spray of warm water, air, and fine powder is passed over every tooth, between the teeth, and along the gumline, lifting the biofilm and stain that remain after scaling. It takes a few minutes, tastes faintly of the powder, and is adjusted the moment you feel anything. The teeth are rinsed and feel glass-smooth afterward.
Step 4
Fluoride is applied when it will help you, Jennifer shows you where your brushing and flossing are missing, and your next cleaning is booked, usually in six months. Between visits, a tooth that becomes sensitive or a gum that bleeds and swells is worth a call rather than a wait, and we see dental emergencies the same day.
FAQ
Answers about comfort, cost, tartar, whitening, appointment length, and who air polishing suits.
No. It feels like a fine, warm spray over the teeth with a faint powdery taste, and most patients find it comfortable. It uses warm water and no instrument pressure, and we turn the spray down wherever you feel it.
Nothing extra here. Air polishing is included in every hygiene visit at no extra charge, as the standard finish to your cleaning. Many dental plans cover cleanings twice a year, and the two cleanings in our discount membership plan include it too. Your quote for other treatment follows your exam.
No. Tartar is plaque that has hardened onto the tooth, and it has to be scaled off with instruments. Air polishing removes the biofilm and soft plaque before they harden, along with surface stain. Scaling takes the tartar, and air polishing takes the rest.
It removes stain, which is different from whitening. Coffee, tea, wine, and tobacco stain sits on the surface and in the biofilm, and air polishing lifts it, so teeth look brighter and closer to their natural shade. It does not change the color of the enamel, which takes professional whitening.
A few minutes for the whole mouth, as part of a cleaning visit that usually runs 30 to 60 minutes. The visit includes the gum check and any scaling, and the spray cleans every surface in one pass, so air polishing adds very little time.
For almost everyone, including children, pregnant patients, and people with implants, crowns, veneers, and braces. Jennifer asks about your health history first, because some conditions, such as certain breathing conditions or very recent gum surgery, call for a different powder or a gentle paste polish instead.
Conveniently Located Near You
Located in a serene colonial medical building on Clinton Road, across from Walgreens and Broadway Square, our office is designed for effortless visits. Enjoy a first-floor suite, free on-site parking, and a wheelchair-accessible entrance, so you can step straight into care that is focused on you.
First-Floor Suite
Free On-Site Parking
Wheelchair Accessible
