Why can brushing your teeth too hard damage them, but the sharp metal points dentists use to scrape enamel off don’t?

Question

Why can brushing your teeth too hard damage them, but the sharp metal points dentists use to scrape enamel off don’t?

In: Other

Answer 1

Brushing too hard with a too stiff bristle can damage your teeth but usually what you’re damaging most is the gums/gumline. Then you expose the part of the root that shouldn’t be. Hard to regrow gums takes time.

The metal CAN scratch your enamel but really they’re just going along the plaque line to dislodge the hard buildup and shouldn’t be scratching that hard on/along your tooth surface.