Scale and Root Planing Aftercare
Scale and root planing is a dental treatment provided to rid periodontal disease and restore the health of your mouth. Periodontal disease can have a detrimental impact not only on your oral health but your overall health. If you are diagnosed with gingivitis or advanced periodontitis, it is important to receive recommended treatment from your dentist. Periodontal disease does not go away on its own and will only get worse and cause more damage to your gums, teeth, and jaw bone.
Scale and Root Planing Procedure
Before any treatment is performed, your dental hygienist will take diagnostic x-rays and measure the depth of your gum pockets to assess the extent of infection. Between each tooth and the gum tissue, healthy pockets will measure between zero and 3 millimeters. When measurements reach above 5 millimeters, you may require scale and root planing to clean tartar buildup from the gum pockets.
When receiving a scale and root planing, the area being treated is numbed with a local anesthetic. This allows the hygienist to scale deep below the gumline to remove tartar and bacteria buildup, which allows your gum tissue to heal closer to the root tooth surface. Scale and root planing is usually completed over the course of two appointments, treating one side of the mouth at a time. This makes it easier on the patient and avoids numbing the entire mouth all at once.
Scale and Root Planing Aftercare
Immediately following the scale and replanning, your gun tissue will be tender and he may experience heightened tooth sensitivity but it is important to maintain good oral care, just taking extra care to be gentle. 4 to 6 weeks after treatment, your dentist will want to see you for a follow up evaluation to make sure that everything is healthy and healing properly. During this follow up, new pocket measurements will be taken and any pockets that have not improved may need to be retreated and an antibiotic chip may be placed in the pocket to help healing.
Most patients that receive scaling and root planing treatment need to have professional cleanings more often than the standard twice a year. Patients with a history of periodontal disease greatly benefit from three or four cleanings per year. You may have to pay out-of-pocket for additional cleaning, depending on your insurance plan, but the cost of a couple extra cleanings is much less than the cost of gum restoration or tooth replacement.
Untreated periodontal disease can cause gum recession, bone deterioration, and eventually tooth loss. After you have received a scale and root planing, you may experience some discomfort which will subside within a few days. It is important to maintain a more frequent cleaning schedule to make sure your gums remain healthy and prevent recurring periodontal disease.