Maintaining oral hygiene is an essential stepping stone towards good overall health and a disease-free lifestyle. Our teeth are a direct reflection of the state of health of the body. Hence, it is essential to maintain them in perfect health, so that they do not become a hindrance to routinely eating and chewing habits. Often, people undergo extensive gum diseases, which starts causing pain and formation of bacteria in the teeth and gums. In this scenario, any able dentist would advise a deep cleaning or root planing treatment to the patient. Before we understand why it is required to be done, let us get to know what a deep cleaning treatment is all about.
What is deep cleaning?
A deep cleaning treatment, also known as scaling, is performed by a specialized hygienist or dentist, to treat and cure gum diseases. A person may need a deep cleaning treatment when he has missed his regular dental sittings for a long time or is undergoing a periodontal disease in the gums.
Why does a patient need a deep cleaning treatment?
Usually, gum disease forms on or inside the teeth when a sticky film or plaque forms. The formation of plaque can be noticed on the teeth only but when the intensity of the disease increases, the bacteria from the plaque on the teeth can make their way to the gums and manifest their effect in the form of a gum disease. This is more likely to happen in cases when the teeth are not cleaned properly. As a result, the gums can become inflamed and lead to separation of the teeth from the gums, manifesting bone loss and creating pockets between the teeth and gums in the process.
Further, as the trouble continues and increases, plaque can make its way inside these pockets and stay trapped within those pockets. Unfortunately, it is very difficult to remove this plaque, even with regular cleaning of the teeth. Slowly and gradually, this problem intensifies and leads to diseases in the gums, even grossing up to bone damage and tooth loss. The effect is irreversible however a deep cleaning will prevent further damage.
In this case, your dentist may suggest a treatment of deep cleaning your roots. At Lasting Impressions Dental Spa, we offer expert deep cleaning services, which can be taken any time after discussion with our dentists.
In cases where we discover gum disease at its early stage, we suggest our patients go for professional teeth cleaning, which can effectively solve the issue but when the pockets are too deep to be attended through regular cleaning, we may have to go ahead with deep cleaning or scaling.
The process of scaling involves removal of any tartar or plaque from the teeth and the pockets, making sure that the tooth is absolutely clean of any plaque. After this, the dentists go through a root planing procedure, which involves smoothing out the roots of the teeth, so that the gums can attach back again to the teeth. What you need to know about a root planing and scaling treatment is that it can take more than one sitting at the dentist to solve the issue completely.
What are the typical signs and symptoms that indicate the need for a deep cleaning treatment?
Ideally, our dentists at Lasting Impressions Dental Spa would suggest you come in, four times every year for an assessment for periodontal diseases. This will help your dentist in measuring the existing pockets between the teeth and gums and if they are found to be more than 4 mm deep, you may have to check in for a deep cleaning treatment, as would be commonly suggested by our dentists. When left untreated for a long time, the plaque and tartar in the teeth and between the gums can become a cause of worry. This is mainly because the pockets between the teeth and the gums become a breeding ground for bacteria, damaging the teeth and worsening the existing damage of the teeth. For patients who usually have an issue of chronic gum disease are more commonly suggested to go for a deep cleaning service, to keep their teeth healthy.
Typical signs and symptoms that may indicate the need to visit the dentist for a deep cleaning treatment are as follows:
- If you have soft and tender gums, visible bleeding in the gums, or swollen gums.
- If you notice receding of the gums from the teeth.
- If you constantly face an issue with your breath, which is mostly bad or foul.
- If you feel that your teeth are losing their grip or becoming loose.
- If you notice any pus surrounding the teeth and gums.
What is the typical procedure involved in a deep cleaning procedure?
When you plan to undergo a deep cleaning treatment, we suggest that you be prepared with the basics of the treatment, which will help you feel more confident and ready for the treatment.
At the first step, a dentist at Lasting Impressions Dental Spa will conduct an examination of your teeth, during which, he will judge the actual depth of the pockets, and estimate if your teeth require a good deep cleaning procedure. Else, he will simply perform a professional cleaning of your teeth and ask you to come back for a follow-up. Otherwise, the dentist will devise a proper schedule for the cleaning process and ask you to come back for further treatment.
At the next step, your dentist will take some time to carefully examine your teeth and remove the tartar and plaque on them using a mirror. Depending on the extent of plaque and tartar, the dentist may need different time on different teeth, to remove them completely from the teeth.
Next, the dentist uses an electric brush to clean the teeth deeply so that any remaining residue of tartar and plaque can be removed. This process will create some grinding sounds but it is completely normal. The tooth paste used in this process is mostly a normal one, hence there is not much trouble in undergoing this step.
After this, the dentist will floss the teeth a bit to further remove any residual plaque, especially at those spots which are skeptical of gum bleeding. Once this is done, the teeth can be washed and rinsed to reveal cleaned and healthy teeth.
What are the benefits of deep cleaning process?
As you might have already understood by now, a deep cleaning process becomes quite essential in cases when the teeth have undergone major damage from plaque and tartar. Hence, the whole process of scaling and root planing holds immense benefit such as:
- Clean and plaque free teeth promote good oral hygiene and keep most dental issues at bay. Further, the process of bacteria formation is also minimized, leading to reduced chances of further pocket formations.
- As and when damaged teeth are detected and repaired, the dentist examines and takes care that no further damage may occur in the teeth and that they remain free of further deterioration.
- A deep cleaning treatment is responsible for the promotion of overall good health of the teeth, keeping problems at bay and reducing bacteria in the teeth.
What is the aftercare procedure?
As with all dental treatments, maintenance of good oral hygiene is necessary while taking care of the teeth. Regular brushing and flossing help in keeping bacteria away and promotes good oral hygiene. Your dentist may suggest the use of a mouthwash or toothpaste that suits the specific problem that you are facing. For the first year after a deep cleaning, we recommend that the patient gets a cleaning called periodontal maintenance at 3 month intervals to re-establish non bleeding healthy gums.
Why go for Lasting Impressions Dental Spa?
At Lasting Impressions Dental Spa, a team of expert dentists, including Dr. Isaac Kashani and his team, tend to their patients in a very friendly and hospitable manner, making sure that they feel at home when undergoing any treatment with them. We offer a very reasonable and apt cost for our services, making it comfortable for you to avail a treatment with us. Furthermore, we also offer the facility of accepting various dental insurance plans, depending on the terms. You are more than welcome to pay us a visit at Lasting Impressions Dental Spa and discuss your individual dental issues with us so that we can devise the best way forward to you. We believe in empowering our patients before we perform any treatment on their teeth. This is why, we feel that it is best when you come to us for consultation and discuss your dental troubles with us, so that we can devise an apt solution to the problem and discuss all the details of the treatment with you. We are a renowned dental clinic in Encino, famous for our success rate even in the neighboring areas. Reach out to us for any dental query and get it resolved from one of our dental experts, who tend to your issue with their expertise. We are the experts in the field of deep cleaning/ scaling/ root planing procedures and are your dentists for a lifetime.
Call (818) 751-5100
