As a leading cosmetic dental provider in Los Angeles, Gage Dental Care offers deep dental cleanings. This procedure may sound like a minor treatment that you can request if you want a thorough cleaning, but a deep dental cleaning is a specific procedure that your dentist or his or her hygienist will perform to treat periodontal and gum disease. Those who require it are likely to have skipped out on a few of their six month dental cleanings.
Determining When you Need a Deep Cleaning
When you visit the dentist for a regular checkup, the office’s dental hygienist will measure the space around your teeth to see if adverse pocketing has formed. Pocketing is the space between the gum and a tooth where bacteria develops. To measure this space, the hygienist will use a probe. If the depth of the gum tissue between these two points measures 5 millimeters or more, you have a pocket that's teeming with bacteria. Healthy pockets should measure no more than 3 millimeters deep. If they are deeper than that, then your dentist may recommend a deep cleaning.
To complete the procedure, the hygienist will remove the tartar and plaque from the surface of your teeth as well as from the pocket areas with scaling. Deep cleaning is performed with manual scaling tools or with an eletriceor ultrasonic instrument.
Deep cleanings also require the hygienist to complete a procedure called root planing. This involves removing tartar and plaque from the surface of your teeth’s roots with a scaling tool. In most cases, deep cleaning requires two or more office visits. If you need this type of procedure, plan for a follow-up visit because your dentist will want to confirm that the treatment was effective.
Mouth Care After a Deep Cleaning Procedure
Upon the completion of a deep cleaning procedure, your teeth pockets will be free of bacteria. As long as you take care of your oral health every day by brushing and flossing, you should be able to prevent bacteria from returning. If you want to take additional preventative measures, clean your mouth daily with an antibacterial mouthwash.
Preventing Gum Disease
Deep cleaning often delays the development of gum disease, and it can interrupt the expansion of a periodontal disease. The best way to prevent teeth and gum problems is to visit the dentist every six months for a regular appointment. At Gage, we provide preventative dental care along with cosmetic treatments.