For most plaque and tartar buildup, a routine dental cleaning is enough to get teeth clean as a whistle again, even if that plaque and tartar is stubborn or hasn’t been cleaned in some time. But there’s some plaque that is stubbornly hiding under your gums. When that happens, deep cleaning teeth may be in order.

A deep cleaning consists of two principal procedures: scaling and root planing. These procedures take care of tartar and bacteria that have collected in hard-to-reach areas. Though the two terms may look intimidating at first glance, they’re nothing to worry about – and they can make a world of difference in preventing bigger problems down the road.

Who Needs a Dental Deep Cleaning?

Scaling and root planing are recommended for individuals dealing with mild or moderate gum disease, as well as periodontitis, the infection and inflammation of the soft tissues surrounding the teeth. This gum disease treatment removes tartar and bacteria around the teeth roots, helping to ease sore or bleeding gums, reduce the risk of tooth loss, and contributing to good overall oral health. Because the procedure reaches further below the gums, it can clean up plaque that a routine cleaning can’t.

What Causes the Problems That a Deep Cleaning Solves?

When not sufficiently handled by brushing and flossing, bacteria in the mouth can cause the gums to become inflamed. That inflammation, in turn, can cause the gums to pull away from the teeth, forming pockets. And when bacteria gets into those pockets, it’s stuck there: Brushing and flossing can’t touch it.

What Happens Before a Deep Cleaning?

If your dentist is concerned about your gum health, they’ll evaluate it by inspecting your gums and measuring the depth of the pockets. They’ll also meet with you ahead of the procedure to ensure the bleeding gums treatment makes sense for you.

What Are Scaling and Root Planing?

The deep cleaning procedure starts with local anesthesia to numb the gums. Next comes scaling, in which the dentist uses hand scalers or ultrasonic instruments to reach deeper beneath the gums than a standard cleaning to remove plaque and tartar above the gumline. Root planning then smooths out the teeth roots and removes the plaque and tartar below the gumline, making it possible for the gums to reattach to the teeth. 

Your dentist may then inject antibiotics around the teeth roots to prevent infection. Often, though, patients are prescribed oral antibiotics to take in the aftermath.

How Long Does a Deep Cleaning Take?

You can expect a deep cleaning to take one or two hours. Most insurance companies dictate that it is done in two sessions: one for each side of the mouth.

What Happens After a Deep Cleaning?

Once the entire mouth has undergone a deep cleaning, the patient may or may not need additional procedures. We typically recommend getting more frequent regular cleanings from there on out. These are sometimes referred to as periodontal maintenance procedures. Sometimes, a dentist will have to perform additional procedures depending on the severity of the initial disease.

Your dentist will schedule a follow-up appointment, though, to check healing progress and measure the depth of remaining pockets. They may also prescribe an at-home treatment, such as custom-fit fluoride dental trays, to prevent the problem from recurring. 

Will I Be Sore After Scaling and Root Planing?

Gums are generally sore for a few days afterward, but it’s nothing that can’t be handled by prescribed mouth rinses or over-the-counter pain medication. The patient may experience some bleeding afterward, but need not worry about it unless it’s excessive or doesn’t stop. There’s also a possibility that teeth will be more sensitive, especially to heat and cold, but this symptom should be mild and is unlikely to last longer than a month. Most patients are able to resume their normal routines the very next day. 

If the patient’s gums were swollen prior to the deep cleaning, they’ll shrink back once the infection is gone, which may leave roots more exposed than usual for a brief period of time. Likewise, teeth might feel loose after a scaling and root planing, but will feel better once the gums tighten back up.

How Do Scaling & Root Planing Help?

By catching the plaque and bacteria that can’t be caught by day-to-day maintenance, deep cleaning can help to resolve recurring problems such as:

• Bad breath
• Poor oral health
• Tooth loosening
• Gum recession
• Bleeding gums
• Pain when chewing

Is a Deep Cleaning Worth it?

In addition to dealing with nagging issues such as halitosis and bleeding gums, deep cleaning prevents larger issues from arising in the future: think advanced gum disease and bone and tooth loss. That means dealing with tartar below the gumline now prevents problems down the line – and saves the need for later procedures that are more costly with insurance. In addition, recovery is fairly easy compared to more involved gum maintenance procedures: no incisions, no stitches, not even significant dietary restrictions afterward.

Improving Gum Health with Perimeter Dental Group

If your gums bleed or you have been told you need a deep cleaning, schedule a gum health evaluation with Perimeter Dental Group in Dublin. We understand the importance of keeping your gums healthy and the best methods for achieving that, and we’ll work with you to keep you as comfortable as possible before, during, and after the scaling and root planing procedures. Reach out to us today to schedule your evaluation for periodontal therapy in Dublin, Ohio.