What is a Tooth Deep Cleaning?

Are your gums red, swollen, tender to touch and bleed easily? If so, a deep dental cleaning might be recommended by your dentist at your next appointment.

When you develop signs of gum disease, such as deep pockets, receding gums, bone loss or loose teeth, a deep cleaning will likely be needed. Unlike a routine dental cleaning, a deep cleaning as the name implies, is used to clean below the gum line to remove tartar, bacteria and granulation tissue. The procedure involves local anesthetic to temporarily numb your gums and part of your mouth. Although it may sound complex and dramatic, it's a conservative treatment that can help treat gum disease without requiring more extensive treatments such as gum surgery.

What is a deep dental cleaning?

It’s similar to your routine cleaning, however your hygienist or dentist will need to go deeper beneath the gum line where brushing and flossing simply can’t reach.

A deep dental cleaning is a two step procedure, tooth scaling and root planning. Tooth scaling removes tartar at and below the gum line and root planning smooths out the root of the tooth to help the gums reattach and prevent tartar to build up.

Regular cleanings are generally above the gum and a millimeter or two below the gum but root planning gets down further to remove more tartar that may be irritating the gums.

Common signs that you might benefit from deep dental cleaning

Healthy gums are pink, firm and do not bleed when you brush and floss. But with gum disease, the opposite is true. With plaque build up, your gums get inflamed and start to bleed easily, which is the first sign of gum disease.

Early signs of gum disease include:

• Bleeding gums

• Swollen gums

• Bad breath

• Difficulty chewing food

• Pain in the teeth or gums when biting down

• Loose teeth

• Receding gums

In more advanced cases, your dentist might notice bone loss on your x-rays or even deep pockets between your gums and teeth. Your teeth may appear longer and black spaces, commonly called triangles, can be noted between your teeth.

The primary risk factor for gum disease is poor dental hygiene, however genetics, systemic health conditions (ie, diabetes), hormonal changes (ie, pregnancy) and smoking are also key factors .

What happens after a deep dental cleaning?

Following your deep dental cleaning, You should expect your gums to be sore for a few days and it will gradually disappear. Your dentist may recommend to rinse with salt water or give you a mouth rinse such as Peridex. It is also recommended to avoid food or drinks that are too hot or too cold or too sticky.

Within a week after the deep dental cleaning, you should start to see and feel improvements, such as less bleeding or tenderness when you brush and floss. Normally, in 8 weeks, you should have a follow up appointment to make sure that the deep cleaning has been successful. In more advanced gum disease cases, following the root planning you may need more invasive treatment such as gum surgery. That being said, the root planning can still help significantly reduce the amount of surgery you'll need and is always the first line of treatment for gum disease

The key to success is proper home care and routine professional dental cleanings. Diagnosing gum disease early on will prevent more extensive and costly dental procedures.