Scaling is a common dental procedure. It helps everyone but mostly for those, who suffer from excess plaque development in the teeth prevent oral health issues like cavities in the teeth and gum disease. Dentists recommend it frequently before performing a dental procedure on patients. Scaling goes much deeper in cleaning the teeth of plaque build-ups compared to that of professional teeth cleaning. Dentists are known to prescribe both scaling and root planning together. Do you know the reason why? Let us explore more about dental scaling in the paragraphs below.
Dental scaling – what is it?
Scaling is a special form of cleaning of the teeth the reaches below the gum. The procedure proves helpful removing excess build-ups of plaque in the mouth. As mentioned above, dentists usually recommend both dental scaling and root planning together. The combined procedure is called deep cleaning. This is a much deeper cleaning procedure and obviously more helpful in removing harmful plaque build-ups than standard cleaning of the teeth that you get during your annual visits to a dentist.
Why is dental scaling required?
At some point of time or the other we suffer from the problem of plaque build-ups in the mouth. These plaques are harmful. They compromise our oral health and wellbeing in a big way. Tiny particles of protein and harmful bacteria that are present in the mouth combine with saliva to form a very thin layer or coating on the teeth. Whenever you eat or drink anything sugary, the sugar gets converted to acid. This acid corrodes away the tooth enamel resulting to tooth decay. The sugar and the resulting acid too combine with that thin film. As a result, a build-up gets deposited on the teeth surface. This build-up is called plaque. Plaques are majorly responsible for causing tooth decay and gum disease. Proper brushing and flossing prove helpful clearing away nasty plaque build-ups. Even standard teeth cleaning procedure proves a helpful procedure to remove plaques from the mouth. Even healthy and strong gums put up strong resistance against accumulating plaque build-ups. But if proper resistance is not provided to plaque build-ups, you have high chances of developing gum disease. As a result of gum disease the gum tissues go soft. The gums can no longer hold the teeth together. Thus the teeth become loose from their location and finally you are likely to suffer from tooth loss explains a group of smile dentists in London.
Healthy gums remain fixed to the teeth about one to three meters below the gum line. Gum disease results in development of pockets of plaque that are much deeper than that. Development of these pockets makes the overall situation harder to manage. One of the side effects of this problem is bad breath. Usually dentists recommend dental scaling for cases where the plaque pockets are deeper by 4 mm or more.
How it feels while undergoing dental scaling
Many people who have undergone the procedure say it is a pretty uncomfortable experience. The level of discomfort is even greater for those who have sensitive gums. Dentists usually administer local anaesthesia on these patients. As a result the gum tissues go numb for the time being and you do not register much discomfort. Other than anaesthesia there are other means to desensitise the treatment area. Thus you can rest assured there is minimum inconvenience and discomfort to experience while undergoing dental scaling.
Scaling is not an easy procedure to get over in just one visit to a dental practice. You may have to go on a number of visits in succession. Some dentists perform the procedure by dividing your mouth into two halves while other dentists prefer dividing it into four quadrants. This is done for ease of the procedure. You can ask your dentist if it is possible to complete your dental scaling in just one visit. It is important to note that this option is usually not possible for the majority of patients. Scaling of all the teeth can be done in just one visit in cases where gum disease is mild and patients can sit for hours together.
After effects of the procedure
Once scaling procedure gets over your mouth could feel little sore and the teeth little sensitive. Bleeding and swelling, immediately after the procedure, are also not uncommon. These bleeding and swelling could continue for a few days in a row. Dentists prescribe specially formulated toothpaste at this stage to desensitise your gums and the teeth. As the effect of desensitising toothpaste takes over your inconvenience and discomfort vanish away. Dentists also recommend mouthwash. This helps keeping your gum tissues clean. Once the dental scaling session is over, you must brush and floss the teeth in proper manner to prevent build-ups of plaque, tartar and calculus.
Scaling and root planning – when are they necessary?
The combined dental procedures of scaling and root planning are important for patients who have sufficient space between their teeth and the gums. This space is too deep for cleaning on regular basis. Plaque build-ups easily grow in those spaces. If left ignored and untreated the condition may lead you to gum disease. Gum disease in its worst stages results in both bone and tooth loss. Scaling and root planning prove effective in removing plaque build-ups from those pockets below the gum line. The procedures also help getting rid of harmful bacteria in the mouth. These bacteria not only affect our oral health but also our overall physical health and wellbeing.
It is relevant mentioning in the ongoing context that Smile Clinic London has an excellent track record in handling cases of dental scaling as well as root planning successfully. We are located on the West End Lane and cater to an ever increasing number of patients from all over London as well as the nearby areas. The easiest way to reach out to us is by searching online using strings like “Affordable teeth scaling near me” from anywhere in London.
Sound health of the gums is necessary to ensure sound overall oral health of an individual. Sound oral health in turn contributes to your overall physical wellbeing. Therefore if your dentist recommends you deep cleaning, do not wait unnecessarily to schedule an appointment with us.
