Scaling and Root Planing
Scaling and root planing is a non-surgical solution to Periodontitis. It is used to treat mild cases of the disease so that it doesn’t continue to spread and destroy tissue. This deep-cleaning technique will involve numbing the gums with local anesthesia, allowing the clinician to clean deep into the gum line without causing any discomfort.
Prior to the procedure, you will come in for an appointment to evaluate your specific dental needs. A team member will perform periodontal charting to determine the depth of the pockets around each tooth and the severity of your Periodontitis.
During the procedure, a combination of hand scalers and ultrasonic instruments will be used to clean the root surfaces of the teeth. We’ll begin by removing any harmful bacteria and plaque that is hiding underneath the gumline and causing infection. After the tartar and plaque build-up is removed, we will go back in to smooth the rough surfaces of the root. The gum will have a clean surface to reattach itself to as it heals from the scaling. Most patients report little to no discomfort following the appointment.
After the scaling and root planing procedure, it’s critical that you maintain your oral health. This means keeping a dental hygiene routine at home as well as coming into the office more often for cleanings. We will recommend an appropriate cleaning schedule to maintain the health of your gums. Patients who have periodontal disease may require more frequent cleanings, such as three to four times a year, to help remedy heightened bacteria levels.
During your appointment, we will give you tips on how to keep a more regimented oral healthcare routine at home so that you can help keep infection at bay. If you don’t keep up with your at-home routine and don’t attend your scheduled cleanings, it’s possible that the infection could return more aggressively than it was before.
We want you to have great oral health and a beautiful smile to show for it, so it’s important that you do your part to keep up with your dental hygiene. We are here for regularly scheduled cleanings, but without consistent care at home, you may be making yourself vulnerable to infection. If the infection spreads far enough, it may require a surgical treatment rather than the nonsurgical treatment of scaling and root planing.