It’s yours gums red, swollen and tender? If so, a deep dental cleaning may be on the agenda at your next dental appointment.
Your dentist may recommend a deep cleaning when you experience some associated signs of gum disease, such as receding gums, bone loss, or loose teeth, says Dr. Sally Cram, a Washington, D.C.-based periodontist and spokeswoman for the American Dental Association , on TODAY. com.
“When that gum starts to come away and the gums are very inflamed, your dentist may say, ‘We need to do more than just clean above your gums,'” says Cram.
Unlike a regular dental cleaning, the techniques used in a deep cleaning reach below the gum line to remove bacteria stuck there.
The procedure, which involves local anesthetic to temporarily numb part of the mouth, may sound dramatic. But, experts say, it’s a conservative treatment that can help significantly manages gum disease — and help your mouth feel much better.
What is deep dental cleaning?
It’s similar to your regular cleaning routine, but goes deeper below the gum line where brushing and flossing just can’t reach.
Technically, a deep dental cleaning involves two procedures: scaling the teeth and root planing, Dr. Elbert Tom, assistant clinical professor and director of group practice at the UCLA School of Dentistry, tells TODAY.com.
Dental scaling removes tartar from and below the gum line explains the ADA. And root planing smoothes the root of the tooth to help the gums reattach.
“Regular cleanings are generally above the gums and maybe a millimeter or two below the gums,” says Cram, but root planing is further reduced to remove more calculus that can irritate the gums.
Signs You May Benefit From a Deep Dental Cleaning
Healthy gums should look pink and firm around the teeth, Cram explains. If you develop gum disease, the look and feel of your gums will begin to change.
Gum disease develops when “the sticky plaque in your mouth starts to stick to your teeth and down under the gums,” Cram explains. If the plaque sits there undisturbed because you are not brushing and flossing adequatelyhardens within a few days. At this point, you can’t brush or floss it.
This leads to gum inflammation and can cause the gums to start pulling away from the teeth, Cram says. You will also notice that your gums begin to bleed easily, which are early signs of periodontal disease and suggest that a deep cleaning could be beneficial.
Early signs of gum disease include:
Additionally, your dentist may notice bone loss on your X-rays, excessive bleeding during a cleaning, or cracks that form between the tooth and the gums (also called pockets), says Tom. Deep gum pockets are often another sign of bone loss.
If you or your dentist notice any of these issues, he or she may discuss with you a deep dental cleaning.
Keep in mind that gum disease is common and can result from many different factors, Tom says, including genetic predisposition, underlying health conditions (such as diabetes), hormonal changes, and poor dental work in the past.
“(But) if the patient doesn’t take care of their teeth — if they don’t brush, if they don’t floss — they will tend to build up hard plaque on their teeth,” he says. Although you can’t control everything that contributes to tartar and gum disease, you can box stay on top brushing and flossing.
What to expect during a deep dental cleaning
When it’s time for your deep dental cleaning, the dentist, periodontist, or dental hygienist will usually only work on half of the mouth at a time, says Tom.
For more advanced cases, they may cover only one quadrant of the mouth in one appointment. So, it will take at least two 45- to 60-minute appointments to clean your entire mouth, Cram says.
First, you’ll receive a local anesthetic that will numb whatever part of the mouth is being processed during that appointment, Cram says, “so the dentist can get down under that gum tissue without making you too uncomfortable. “
The person performing the procedure will then use a familiar tool—an ultrasonic cleaner with a vibrating metal tip—to “peel tartar off the teeth above and below the gum line,” Tom explains. “It comes with a water spray that washes away the tartar and washes the plaque out of the gum pocket,” he adds.
After that, they’ll use a hand-held instrument called a scaler or curette to “tune” their work and “remove the little bits of stone that are left,” says Tom. They also use the scaler to smooth out the area around the root, which allows the gum to reattach to the tooth.
Some patients also receive antibiotic medication that is given directly to their gums during the deep cleaning to help reduce the bacteria causing the problem.
Mainly, you should also get personalized recommendations and demonstrations for how to take care of your teeth and gums at home moving forward, says Cram.
What happens after a deep dental cleaning?
In the few days after your deep dental cleaning, your gums will probably be a little sore, sensitive and tender. This is completely normal and will go away naturally as your mouth heals.
Your dentist will instruct you on foods to avoid during this time, Tom says, which will likely include anything too hot or too cold. And you should try to stick to soft foods, he adds.
But as soon as three to five days after a deep dental cleaning, you should start to see and feel improvements, Cram says, such as fewer bleeding when brushing and flossing. Patients often report that their gums feel “hard and not tender” after the procedure, she adds. “They can see a big difference.”
You will likely be called back for a follow-up appointment a few weeks after the cleaning. Different practices follow different timelines for the next appointment, Tom says, but you should expect it to be anywhere between three to six weeks from the original appointment.
Will I need more treatment after a deep dental cleaning?
Not necessarily.
“Root planing is really the first line of defense,” says Cram. “It’s a conservative treatment to try to solve the problem.” Many times, a deep clean and improved home care can “solve the problem,” she adds.
Even in cases where someone has gone a while without seeing a dentist and may have more advanced periodontal disease, a deep cleaning can be enough to prevent the need for more intensive treatment — especially when followed by better oral hygiene at home and new routine cleaning program.
Sometimes, people need additional intervention after a deep cleaning, which may include antibiotic mouth rinses or a systemic antibiotic (such as a pill) to reduce inflammation. Dentists generally decide whether or not a patient needs one of these prescription options if they’re not treating properly or at the next appointment, Tom says.
In cases where people need surgery after a deep dental cleaning, root planing can help drastically reduce the amount of surgery they’ll need, Cram says. For example, in a patient with more advanced gingivitis, “scaling and root planing can solve 80% of the problem,” he explains, “and so they may only need to operate on one or two sites as opposed to the whole their. mouth.”
While some people end up needing more than one deep dental cleaning in their lifetime, Cram says, others will say, “I’m going to do the care at home and I’m not going back to that place again.”
This article was originally published on TODAY.com
