What You Can Expect From A Dental Deep Cleaning

Why You Need A Deep Cleaning

Periodontitis

Generally, patients who do not visit their dentist for as long as six months allow germs and bacteria to form. It can result in tooth decay, gum disease, and other dental problems. At Rivergate Dentist, we use a probe to measure the areas surrounding your teeth and gauge if there are any pockets present.

A pocket is an area between your gums and teeth where bacteria might grow. If a gum tissue’s depth is more than 5 millimeters, it will be considered as pockets. As per dental standards, it is important that every person especially adults should have a yearly periodontal evaluation. This will help in determining whether you need further treatment or not.

An ideal healthy gum would have pockets no deeper than 3 millimeters. If yours are 5 mm deep, then we will recommend treatments such as deep dental cleaning, planing, and scaling.

Tooth Loss

A resulting condition from periodontitis is tooth loss. Leaving it as it is may cause some heart problems. You have to be cautious since early gum disease may get overlooked. If you notice any symptoms such as gum bleeding or redness, please visit us right away at our Port St. Lucie dental office, so we can assess the severity of the condition, if any.

The first part of your teeth cleaning appointment will require a thorough examination of your gums and teeth. It is during this phase that we may poke and prod your gums and teeth, scrape, and take x-rays. We will look for gum disease, teeth misalignment, abscessed teeth, and cavities.

Deep Dental Cleaning Techniques

After the initial examination, we will go around with a tiny mirror and scaler to get rid of the plaque and tartar buildup on your gum line. Dental cleaning involves deep cleaning, scaling, and root planing. It all involves removal of plaque and tartar from the pocket areas to the surface of the root of the tooth.

We will perform both these procedures with either manual scaling tools or an ultrasonic or electric instrument. It will entail at least two visits and there might be an additional visit after. The second visit is a follow-up to check that your teeth and gums are getting better and healthier with no gum pockets.

Dental deep cleaning, although a well-intentioned procedure, can still be feared by a lot of people. The reason behind this may be the usage of different tools and equipment. However, what you need to know is that the procedure is seamless and painless.

Don’t dread the scraping sound as this is totally normal. After that step is done, coarse toothpaste will be applied and we will brush your teeth with a high power electric toothbrush. This is performed so that we remove any leftover plaque or tartar.

The next step is flossing your teeth. This will help in removing plaque, tartar, and toothpaste which might have remained after toothbrushing. Next, you will rinse your mouth with fluoride to thoroughly remove any debris. The last step is cleaning to protect your teeth’s enamel and fight against cavities. Once the whole procedure is done, you need to take care of your teeth.

The Signs and Symptoms Of Gum Disease

While periodontitis may be unnoticeable early on, there are symptoms you need to look out for. If you notice any of the following, please visit us as soon as possible.

• A change in your bite
• Bad breath
• Tooth loosening
• Gap between your teeth and gums
• Pus forming in your teeth and gums
• Your dentures becoming unfitting