Dental health cannot be explained only by having white teeth and healthy gums; having good oral health is the key to good overall health. You may brush your teeth in the morning and before bedtime, floss daily, and visit a dentist for scaling. However, if your gums are bleeding or you have a constant foul smell in the mouth even after brushing your teeth, then it is time to have your teeth scaled and rooted through a process known as deep teeth cleaning.
Deep cleaning involves cleaning areas that are not reached by normal brushing. During deep cleaning, you will undergo scaling, planing, and root surface debridement. If you are a patient with periodontal disease or those with periodontal risk factors, you must undergo a deep cleaning.
If you have swollen, red, or bleeding gums or constantly have a foul smell in your mouth, you need to consult an experienced dentist. Prompt treatment is effective in avoiding worsening conditions in the future, which can affect not only the teeth but also the rest of your body.
The Meaning of Deep Cleaning
Deep cleaning, which is also known as root planing and scaling, is a comprehensive dental procedure that is used to treat gum diseases and also help in preventing them. While common scaling involves the removal of the plaque at the visible part of the teeth, a deep cleaning procedure cleans the gums and the root surface of the teeth. This procedure is aimed at eliminating the hard deposits that have formed on the teeth surfaces over time, which are hard to remove using regular brushing and flossing techniques.
A deep cleaning process involves two major steps: root planing and scaling. A scaling process involves scraping off the dental tartar and plaque from the outer surface of your teeth and from beneath the gum line, where bacteria are normally found and are known to cause inflammation. Scaling removes all the tartar from the tooth surfaces, and root planing removes all rough surfaces of your roots, which makes it difficult for bacteria to stick and continue to inflame the gums.
If gum diseases are not treated, they can progress to other forms of disease, such as recession of the gums, loss of bone tissue, and tooth loss. Deep cleaning aids in eliminating factors that lead to inflammation and giving the gums a chance to recover.
This procedure is often advised if you have the following symptoms of gum disease, including red or swollen gums or gums that bleed, or for patients with pockets deeper than 4 mm between the gum and the teeth. If you want to eliminate the problem and not just mask the symptoms, deep cleaning provides a solution to rectify your dental situation without having to go for more complicated procedures in the future.
When a Deep Cleaning Procedure is Needed
- You Have a Gum Disease
You might need to undergo a deep cleaning procedure if you have a gum disease (also known as periodontal disease). You are first diagnosed with gingivitis, which is a mild form of gum disease that causes your gums to become red, swollen, and prone to bleeding. If you do not treat gingivitis promptly, it can progress to periodontitis, which is a more severe form of gum disease that affects the structures supporting your teeth.
When you have periodontitis, the gums begin to pull away from the teeth, forming pockets where bacteria, plaque, and tartar can accumulate. These pockets are too deep for a regular toothbrush or a regular dental cleaning procedure to reach, which is why a deep cleaning becomes necessary. The procedure cleans out these pockets, reducing the depth and allowing the gums to reattach to the teeth.
- You Have Risk Factors that Make You Susceptible to Gum Diseases
You might also need a deep cleaning if you have risk factors that increase your susceptibility to gum disease. Smoking, diabetes, hormonal changes, and certain medications can all contribute to the development of gum disease, even if you maintain good oral hygiene. Regular dental visits and early intervention can help manage these risks, but when gum disease has already set in, deep cleaning may be the best course of action to restore your oral health.
- Deep Cleaning as a Preventative Measure
In some cases, your dentist might recommend that you undergo a deep cleaning procedure as a preventative measure. If your dentist notices signs of gum disease during a routine checkup, they might suggest a deep cleaning to prevent the condition from worsening. This proactive approach can save you from more invasive and costly treatments in the future, making deep cleaning an essential tool in maintaining your overall oral health.
Preparing for a Deep Cleaning Session
Before undergoing a deep cleaning procedure, your dentist will conduct a thorough examination to determine the extent of gum disease and ensure that you are a suitable candidate for the procedure.
The examination will involve reviewing your dental history, performing a visual inspection of your gums, and taking dental X-rays to assess the bone supporting your teeth. With an x-ray, your dentist will be able to identify areas where there is bone loss, which is an indicator of an advanced periodontal disease.
Your dentist can also perform gum charting, which involves measuring the depth of the pockets between your teeth and gums using a specialized dental probe. Healthy gums have pocket depths of 1 to 3 millimeters. However, if the pockets are deeper, it means that plaque and tartar have built up below the gumline, necessitating a deep cleaning. These measurements are used to track the progress of your gum health before and after the procedure.
Your dentist will also discuss your medical history, including any medications you are taking and any health conditions that could affect the procedure. For example, if you have a heart condition or a weakened immune system, your dentist could prescribe antibiotics before the deep cleaning to reduce the risk of infection.
In some cases, you could also be advised to avoid eating for a few hours before the procedure, particularly if sedation or anesthesia will be used. You may also be instructed to maintain a good oral hygiene routine in the days leading up to the appointment to reduce bacteria in the mouth and improve the effectiveness of the treatment.
The Deep Cleaning Procedure
The deep cleaning procedure is performed over one or two visits, depending on the severity of your gum disease and the number of areas that need treatment. During the procedure, you will undergo the following:
Imaging Tests, Gum Charting, and Examinations
Before the actual cleaning begins, your dentist will perform a final examination to confirm the areas requiring treatment. Imaging tests, such as X-rays, may be used to get a clear view of the roots of your teeth and the surrounding bone. Gum charting is also conducted to measure the depth of the pockets around your teeth, ensuring that all problem areas are accurately identified and addressed during the procedure.
Application of the Numbing Gel or Injecting You with Local Anesthesia
The dentist will make sure that you will not feel any pain during the deep cleaning by applying a numbing gel to your gums or giving you an anesthesia injection. The numbing gel offers a lot of help in reducing the pain during the procedure, particularly when the scaling goes to the root of the teeth.
In some situations, you may be given an anesthesia injection to make the whole area insensitive to pain during treatment. This makes sure that even the most sensitive patients can be subjected to the deep cleaning procedure, provided they are not feeling any pain.
Sedation by Use of Nitrous Oxide
If you are anxious or if you have a very low pain threshold, nitrous oxide, commonly referred to as ‘laughing gas’, may be used in the procedure. This option helps to make you feel more relaxed during the procedure, thus making deep cleaning a more comfortable process. Nitrous oxide is administered through a small mask that only covers your nose, and its effects are temporary, meaning that you can drive yourself home after the session.
Hand Teeth Scaling and Ultrasonic
Your actual teeth cleaning begins with scaling, where your dentist will use a scaler and will go around the surface of your teeth, scraping off the tartar and plaque that have accumulated both on the surface of the teeth and beneath the gum line.
Your dentist will initially use an ultrasonic scaler because it dislodges and eliminates large chunks of tartar through oscillation. They also dispense a water spray that aids in washing out the gum pockets with water and getting rid of debris as well as bacteria.
The remaining tartar will be removed by hand scalers after the ultrasonic scaling has been done to all your teeth. It enables your dentist to get to otherwise inaccessible areas and give your teeth and your gums a good cleaning.
Application of a Localized Antibiotic (If Appropriate)
If your gum disease is more severe, your dentist may apply antibiotics to the cleaned gum pockets to eliminate any bacteria that may be left and help them to recover. This will assist in eliminating re-infection and will help your gums to reattach themselves to the teeth. Your dentist could also use an antiseptic rinse to wash the gum pockets to minimize bacterial load and inflammation.
Deep Cleaning Aftercare and Recovery
The deep cleaning aftercare and recovery is a very crucial stage that will help you realize the benefits of the process that you have just undergone. If done correctly, it is possible to avoid complications, promote healing, and maintain the health of your gums. In case of any individual need, your dentist will provide you with instructions tailored to your needs. However, this is what you should expect during your recovery phase:
Twenty-Four Hours After Your Deep Cleaning Procedure
The first day after your deep cleaning, you may feel some pain in your gums, sensitivity to hot and cold foods, and some bleeding. However, such symptoms are usual and should disappear once the gums start recovering from the effects of the treatment.
To reduce the pain, your dentist will advise you to go buy pain relievers that may be purchased over the counter, like Ibuprofen. You should also avoid taking foods that may cause inflammation of the gum, for example, foods that are spicy or hard to chew.
Your dentist may also advise that you use a warm salty water solution to rinse your mouth several times a day. These rinsing will help in reducing swelling of the gum as well as easing the discomfort that comes with swollen gums. Your dentist will advise you not to smoke and not to take alcohol because these two can prolong your healing process and cause an infection.
Your dentist may also recommend that you use a soft brush to prevent the exacerbation of the condition. They recommend that you should be very gentle when brushing and flossing around the treated areas because you can cause harm to your gums.
Weeks After Your Deep Cleaning Procedure
As you continue with your recovery period, you will observe that your gums become less sensitive and they start re-attaching around the teeth. This is an indication that the treatment process is effective and that the pockets that surround your teeth are becoming shallow.
You should continue following all the instructions in regard to oral care that your dentist has prescribed to you in the weeks after your deep cleaning treatment. Your dentist may also recommend an antimicrobial mouthwash to reduce bacterial deposits in the mouth and to prevent infection of the gums while they heal. However, if the local antibiotics were put in your gums by your dentist during the procedure, then their effectiveness would persist in eradicating bacteria as well as inflammation.
After the deep cleaning procedure, there is a need to arrange a checkup session with your dentist after a few weeks. On this visit, your dentist will take new measurements of the pockets around your teeth and determine if some of them have become deeper or if there are new ones that require attention.
To retain the results of your deep cleaning procedure, you would like to have a proper home oral care routine to practice. This routine includes brushing your teeth at least twice a day, flossing in between them, and even using a water flosser to clean the spaces between the teeth.
Find a Lakewood Dentist Near Me
If you have been experiencing some dental issues, such as bleeding gums, bad breath that persists, or tender gums, this may be a clear indication that you need a deep cleaning. This procedure is an important first step in managing your gum disease before things progress to their worst. At The Lakewood Dentist, we have dentists who have years of experience performing deep cleaning procedures. They are ready to assist you in solving your gum issues, offer you an assurance of a clean bill of health, and leave you with a fresh smile. To set up an appointment, please give us a call at 562-423-1441.