What is ​Airflow stain removal?
Airflow stain removal allows a quick and affordable removal of surface stains from your teeth. A special handpiece, which combines a jet of compressed air, water and bicarbonate particles is usually used to gently but efficiently polish away surface staining from your teeth.

What are surface stains?
Surface stains are discolourations that cover your teeth and are most commonly caused by your diet and lifestyle. Examples of such stains that are removable are tea, coffee, wine, curry, chlorhexidine and tobacco stains.
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What does the procedure involve?
In most cases the treatment takes no longer than 20-30minutes, during which time the teeth will be cleaned with the air/water/bicarbonate jet. This may be combined with ultrasonic scaling for any tartar which may need to be removed. Anaesthetic (a jag) is not required and the cleaning is pain-free. 

How long will it last?
This depends entirely on your diet/smoking/cleaning habits. If you are a big fan of tea, coffee, red wine and curries, you can expect the staining to return over a few months. If you rarely have these and are a thorough brusher at home, teeth can remain stain-free for up to a year.
Most patients who choose Airflow cleaning will have the procedure at least once a year, and also just before special occasions (e.g weddings).

What are the limitations?
With the airflow procedure your teeth can only be brough back to their original base colour. If this is not enough for you you may want to consider Teeth whitening. White or yellow spots that sit within your enamel cannot be removed with airflow either and may require micro abrasion (sanding of the enamel) or conventional filling therapy.