WHAT IS DEEP CLEAN?

When you have gum disease, the pocket or space between the teeth and gums opens up, becomes wider and deeper, trapping tartar and plaque. A healthy set of teeth and gums has a pocket or space that measures 3 millimeters or under. If you have gingivitis or other gum problems the pocket gets wider (>5 millimeters away from your teeth and their roots). In this case, deep cleaning is necessary.

Signs of gum disease include persistent halitosis or bad breath, extra sensitive or increasingly sensitive teeth, loosening teeth, pain when chewing (especially harder or sticky foods), and a receding gum line.

Gum disease should be taken seriously. If left untreated, gum disease can turn into periodontitis, which lead to devastating result, such as loosing your teeth. Deep teeth cleaning can help reduce the size of the pockets and slow or halt the progression of gingivitis gum disease.

A deep teeth cleaning is a dental treatment designed to clean between the teeth and gums all the way down to the roots. During a standard dental cleaning, a dental hygienist or dentist cleans the front, back, and sides of the tooth above the gum line. This same process is performed during a deep teeth cleaning, but the dentist also continues down to the root of the tooth, below the gumline, removing tartar and other build-up from the “pocket” that have been formed between the root of the tooth and gums.

DEEP CLEAN PROCESS

Dentist will take CBCT xray and examine your oral health to determine the extent of patient’s gum disease. Then a deep clean is performed, which involves two parts:

• Gum or periodontal scaling: removes all the plaque and tartar from below the gumline.
• Root planning: involves using an instrument to clean and smooth the root of the tooth, which helps the gums reattach to the tooth, minimizing the size of the pocket or space that can trap unhealthy build-up.
• You may feel sensitivity in your teeth and gums after the procedure, but that often goes away within 2 weeks with proper care and oral hygiene. At Worldwide hospital, deep clean can be performed under sedation if patient has dental phobia.

PREVENTION OF GUM DISEASE

• Brush and floss your teeth at least twice a day, after meals. Don’t forget to clean your tongue; bacteria loves to hide there.
• Use mouthwash. Using a mouthwash can help reduce plaque and may remove remaining food particles that brushing and flossing missed.
• Know your risk. Age, smoking, diet, and genetics can all increase your risk for periodontal disease. If you are at increased risk, be sure to talk to your dentist.
• Have regular check-up and cleaning with a dentist. Dentist will look at your teeth, plaque level, gums, bite, bone structure and other risk factors for periodontal disease. Identifying symptoms of gum disease early is key to protecting your teeth and gums.