Everything You Need To Know About Deep Dental Cleaning

By Author: Dr. Gaurav Sharma
Total Articles: 36
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What Is a Dental Cleaning?

Regularly brushing, flossing and seeing a dentist twice a year for routine dental cleanings plays a vital role in oral health.

Dental hygiene can go a long way in fighting bad breath and preventing gum disease.

Deep dental cleanings are recommended by the dentist sometimes when one has bleeding or receding gums and loose teeth.

As common as it may be, deep cleaning or periodontal scaling or root planing, like any procedure, is accompanied by its advantages, disadvantages and risks.

What Are Deep Dental Cleaning?

A buildup of plaque and tartar on the teeth can be got rid of with the help of Deep teeth cleaning.

The procedure helps in reducing gum inflammation and greatly improves gum health.

Sticky film that forms on teeth, Plaque contains bacteria that develops when food particles mix with saliva.

The plaque, which collects on teeth daily, can be removed by brushing the teeth.

However, brushing is not enough to remove all the plaque between the teeth. So gradually, the leftover plaque calcifies or hardens, forming tartar.

The ...
... accumulation of plaque or tartar can end up causing gum diseases like gingivitis, an inflammation of the gums, which if left untreated, can further into periodontitis.

A serious infection that destroys the bone that supports the teeth, periodontitis can give rise to many problems.

Advantages of Deep Teeth Cleaning

A deep cleaning may be needed if gum disease causes the gums to pull away from the teeth, creating a space of more than 5 mm.

The space between the gums and teeth continues to widen with the worsening of the gum disease, leading to the weakening of the bones that support teeth. This can eventually result in loose teeth or tooth loss.

In such cases, deep cleaning is recommended by the dentist and its benefits include:

Helps to stop the advancement of gum disease.
Helps in treating a present infection
Aids in promoting healing
Helps to clean the teeth above and below the gumline
Can help get rid of bad breath caused by the gum disease
Protects the roots of the teeth

Also Read: Full Mouth Dental Implants- Types and Procedure

Disadvantages of Deep Dental Cleaning

Extremely efficient in helping to treat gum disease, deep cleaning like any procedure has its risks and disadvantages which include:

It can cause nerve damage
The reattachment of gums to the teeth is not guaranteed
It can lead to the receding of the gums
There are chances of infection, especially for people with compromised immune systems.
Can cause pain and sensitivity

It is imperative to mention here that though pain and sensitivity are the most common side effects of a deep dental cleaning, risks and complications are usually minimal.

Pain and sensitivity also last for only about 5 to 7 days except for a few cases.

How Is Deep Dental Cleaning Different from Regular Dental Cleaning?

Deep teeth cleanings and routine teeth cleanings are different from each other.

Whereas regular cleaning works on removing plaque and tartar from above the gum line, a deep cleaning helps to remove plaque and tartar from below the gumline.

A space can be formed between your teeth and gums due to gum disease, trapping the tartar and plaque. This buildup can be removed by deep dental cleaning.

Moreover, deep cleanings need two or more visits to the dental clinic involving gum scaling and root planing.

The dentist removes plaque and tartar from below the gum line during the tooth scaling appointment.

But during the root planning visit, plaque and tartar are removed from the roots of the teeth, reducing the size of the space between the teeth and gums. This helps the gums to reattach to the teeth.

Antibiotics can be prescribed for a few days during deep dental cleaning, to avoid the risk of infection, especially for those whose immune system is compromised.

Is Deep Dental Cleaning Painful?

Teeth scaling and root planing can cause some discomfort and pain.

Dr. Sheena Gaur at Kirkland Premier Dentistry says, " We usually administer a topical or local anesthetic to numb the gums to put patients at ease and keep the procedure pain free" She further explains that some sensitivity, swelling and minor bleeding can still be expected after the treatment.

For more info, visit the link below:

https://www.kirklandpremierdentistry.com/blog/everything-you-need-to-know-about-deep-dental-cleaning