What Happens During Deep Teeth Cleaning?
Deep teeth cleanings are a routine procedure performed on millions of people each year to improve oral health and prevent the progression of gum disease. Since oral health is closely linked to overall health, maintaining healthy teeth and gums is crucial. While regular brushing, flossing, and biannual dental checkups can help maintain your oral hygiene, sometimes plaque and tartar can build up beneath the gums, leading to issues that need attention. If left untreated, this buildup can cause inflammation and even lead to infection. In these cases, your dentist may recommend a deep cleaning. If you’re wondering what this procedure is and what happens during it, read on to learn more.
Why a deep teeth cleaning?
Over time, plaque and tartar can build up behind the gums. Although this can happen despite good oral hygiene habits and regular checkups, it often happens because of lack of care for the teeth and gums over time. Regular brushing, flossing, and cleanings works to clear away the plaque and tartar buildup. Over time, if not cleared away, this buildup can create spaces between the gums and teeth. These spaces allow for bacteria to build in them, which if left untreated, eventually will infect the tissues surrounding the teeth. This bacterial infection, known as periodontal disease, can lead to various health issues including tooth and bone loss. Deep teeth cleanings are used in these cases to clear away the plaque and tartar that are unreachable under the gums. The goal of a deep teeth cleaning is to stop or slow the spread of the infection and set the gums on a path to healing.
What happens during deep teeth cleaning?
Deep teeth cleanings are a routine procedure that is performed in a dentist’s office. The dentist will perform the procedure using local anesthesia which prevents discomfort during the procedure and allows the dentist to get deeper beneath gums to clear out the plaque and tartar.
Once the local anesthesia has taken effect, the dentist begins scaling behind the gums. Scaling involves the dentist using specialized tools to scrape away plaque and tartar from under the gum line. After scaling, the dentist will perform root planing to smooth the surfaces of the roots of the teeth. Root planing allows the dentist to clear away any rough areas on the roots where bacteria can hide and build again. Root planing cleans up any left-over bacteria that has formed as well. The final step in a deep cleaning is to rinse the mouth and gums with an antibacterial mouthwash, which helps to neutralize any additional bacteria left behind and promote healing in the gums.
Are deep teeth cleanings painful?
Deep teeth cleanings can cause some discomfort following the procedure. The cleaning itself is pain free because of the local anesthesia. After the anesthesia wears off following the procedure, it is normal to experience some discomfort in the areas that were cleaned. The gums tend to be tender, sore, and sensitive, for a few days after the procedure. This is because the deep cleaning is more invasive than a regular cleaning and therefore some healing will need to happen following the procedure.