Did you know that your gum line is just as important as your teeth? During regular cleanings, the teeth and surrounding gum tissue are cleaned to help prevent gum disease. When gum disease begins, a routine cleaning is not adequate to restore the teeth and gums to a healthy state.  When the teeth and gums develop inflammation from periodontal disease, aka gum disease, deep cleanings are necessary and important.
“What is a Deep Cleaning?”
A deep teeth cleaning is also called scaling and root planing, because that is exactly what the treatment is:  Scaling scrapes off tartar and bacterial deposits that may be stuck below the gum line on the roots and in the pockets of gum tissue surrounding the roots of teeth.  Root planing smoothes the roots of rough spots where germs and bacteria can thrive.   This process helps your gums to heal and allows your periodontal pockets to shrink.  Sometimes antimicrobial medications are also deposited below the gum line to further aid the healing process.  Deep cleanings usually take 2-4 visits, and usually require local anesthetic (“numbing”) for treatment.
“Why are these deep teeth cleanings so important?”
Periodontal disease is not curable and is, in fact, a systemic disease, much like diabetes or hypertension. As you probably noticed in the previous blog, treating periodontal disease is important. Oral bacteria can affect your entire body, not just the gums and teeth.  The goal of deep cleanings is to arrest the active disease process, stabilize the oral health, and maintain improved oral and overall health.
If you would like more information on the importance of dental care, please visit the American Dental Association. Please stay tuned for the next blog, where we go over how to prevent gum disease.
If you would like treatment for gum disease here in Sidney, OH or just want to learn more, click here!