Medical Insider–Dr Rhoda entero\
Why Is Dental Scaling and Polishing Done?
PART 4
This is part 4 of our discussion of the topic “Why is Dental Scaling and Polishing Done?
The act of dental scaling itself involves removing the plaque beneath the gum line in order to treat your advanced gingivitis or early periodontal disease.
This is usually recommended if you have pockets of bacteria and diseased gums plus teeth that are 4-millimeters deep or deeper.
What’s more, you can’t brush the tartar away yourself because it goes way below the gum line, away from the reach of your traditional toothbrush.
To wit: Leaving The Surfaces and Gum Line Completely Clean: Deep cleaning or scaling plus polishing and standard dental cleaning or prophylaxis exist to leave the surface and deep pockets of your teeth and gum line clean and bacteria-free. Once the teeth are smoothened out and the diseased parts of the gums are removed to encourage gingival healing, bacteria won’t be able to stick or spread in your mouth. Dentist appointments for cleanings give you a better chance at keeping your mouth clean compared to simply depending on dental home care alone.
What Does Scaling Feel Like? It’s not particularly comfortable, especially if you’re one of the patients who have sensitive gums. You might have to be injected with local anesthesia or receive a topically pain-numbing drug on your gum tissue to make the whole procedure more bearable for you. You have to talk to your dental care expert about your options for area desensitization. You might even opt to apply for sedative dentistry in case you have panic attacks having a dentist operate on your mouth (dentophobia).
When Is Dental Scaling Done? Scaling is a routine operation done on patients in order to help them deescalate the development of gum disease that they’ve neglected to address early on, leading to parts of their gums and teeth deteriorating from all the bacterial activity there as well as the buildup of plaque and tartar. Standard prophylaxis or dental cleaning only cleans out the surface of the tooth. Scaling is when it goes deeper, right below the gum line, to get rid of bacteria and food buildup.
Statistics for This Common Gum Disease Treatment: Dental scaling plus polishing and root planing or deep cleaning is a common treatment for patients suffering from gum disease like gingivitis. Nearly half of all adults in America or 47.2 percent have gum disease in one form or another. In senior citizens 65 years or older, the prevalence rates rise to 70.1 percent or the vast majority. If you’re an American, you aren’t alone if you’re recommended to undergo this service.