My family's dental health is important to me. Unfortunately for me, it is not as important to my little ones. Getting my kids to brush and floss on a daily basis is almost like taking on an obstacle course. I talked to my family's dentist about different methods I could try to encourage them to brush and floss on a regular basis. Some of the tricks worked, some did not. After some experimentation and talking to other parents, I was able to come up with a lot of great tips for helping kids care for their teeth. I started this blog to help other parents get creative when it comes to their kids and dental care.
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When Should You See a Dentist for a Tooth Extraction? 4 December 2023
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How a Dentist Can Help If You Have a Toothache 14 November 2023
A Guide to Creatively Handling a Child's Dental Health
Suffering From Gum Disease? The Steps A Dentist Will Take In Deep Cleaning Your Teeth And Gums
Bella Snyder
If you are suffering from periodontal disease, also known as gum disease, you may need more than routine dental cleanings. You may need deep cleanings that reach deep within the gum pockets to remove plaque and build-up. While you cannot reverse damage done by gum disease, you can stop further damage, and this is what the deep cleanings are designed to do. Here are the steps a dentist will take when deep cleaning your teeth and gums due to periodontal disease.
Supragingival Cleaning
After cleaning your teeth, a dentist will begin to deep clean the gum area. The first step to this process is called supragingival cleaning. This process involves removing plaque from right above the gum line. Scaling tools are used to scale and scrape away excess plaque and calculus, also called tartar, build-up. This process should not hurt. If it does, be sure to notify your dentist as this may be a sign that you have a deep cavity or root infection.
Subgingival Cleaning
After excess plaque and calculus are removed from directly above the gum line, the dentist will do a procedure called subgingival cleaning. The process involves removing excess plaque and calculus from below the gum line, including your gum pockets. Routine flossing and brushing help to remove some of the buildup from your gum pockets, but they cannot effectively remove all of the buildup if it is too deep. A scaling tool is used to manually remove this buildup from the pockets. Unfortunately, if your gums are sore or sensitive, this may be uncomfortable. If it is uncomfortable for you, topical sedatives may be used to make you more comfortable during the procedure.
Root Planing
The last step that is performed in deep cleaning teeth and gums for those suffering from gum disease is root planing. Root planing involves removing bacteria that are embedded all the way to the root of the tooth by smoothing out the root. Most dentists compare this procedure to removing a splinter from your finger. The dentist has to dig through the root system, grab hold of the bacteria, and carefully pull them out. Once again, this can be uncomfortable, but a topical sedative can be given to keep you comfortable.
Cleaning the gum and root area thoroughly helps to remove plaque and calculus build-up from the gum line, while also removing bacteria from the gums. If your periodontal disease is bad, you may need to have a deep cleaning done three to four times per year. In addition to this, a dentist may prescribe you medications to place along the gum disease to help prevent the build-up of bacteria in the area. If you are experiencing red, sore, or bleeding gums, contact your dental services today to discuss deep cleaning your teeth and gums.
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