What Is the Difference Between Dental Deep Cleaning and a Normal Cleaning?
Deep cleaning should be done in your home at least once a year. It feels and looks so nice when it is done, although it is a lot of work while you are doing it. Do the same for your dental health by checking into a deep cleaning for your teeth.
You are probably familiar with how a regular dental (scaling) treatment progresses. It is quick and easy, and your dental hygienist or dentist can perform the procedure in only a few minutes. A dental deep cleaning (planing) is more involved.
Most adults have some degree of gum disease, also known as gingivitis. Brushing only once a day, or sometimes skipping, contributes to plaque and tartar build up which must be removed by a dental professional. If you have noticed your gums bleeding even a little bit after brushing, you have the early stages of gingivitis. Flossing between teeth is very important to prevent gingivitis.
If gingivitis is left untreated, the inflammation works its way down into the roots of your teeth. Bacteria really love dark, moist, hidden places, and these periodontal pockets in the roots of your teeth provide the perfect place for them to thrive and multiply. If gum disease goes on for a very long time, it can break down the bone structures of your teeth, causing them to loosen and fall out.
Unfortunately, most people have few symptoms of gingivitis until suddenly their teeth begin to fall out. If you don’t pay attention while brushing, you can overlook mildly swollen gums and a slight amount of bleeding.
This is why it is so important to visit your dental professional twice a year for regular checkups and cleanings. Your dental professional is trained to recognize the very earliest symptoms of gum disease and you can treat it before the damage becomes irreversible and you lose your teeth.
Dental deep cleaning, also known as periodontal therapy, gets rid of the bacteria on the surfaces of your teeth and deep down in the pockets at the root. Normal brushing and rinsing will not get down far enough if you have a bacterial infection at the base of your teeth. You need a root planing procedure
Gum disease causes the gums to recede further up the tooth and become loose from the tooth itself. Plaque builds up underneath the gum line. Root scaling reaches all the way to the root, smoothing the surface of the root and removing infected tooth structure.
Once the dental deep cleaning is finished, your gums have an increased chance of healing on their own. A clean, smooth tooth surface gives the gum a new place to reattach, so you will have less likelihood of problems in the future.
Your dental professional will tell you if you are a good candidate for a dental deep cleaning. Ask about it if you are at all worried about gum disease or gingivitis. Left untreated, the problems keep building up until your teeth fall out.