Your dentist just talked with you about how you’d benefit from a deep dental cleaning. But what’s the difference between a regular dental cleaning and a deep dental cleaning? Is there any real impact?
We’re here to help and break this down so that you can better understand whether a deep cleaning is right for you.
What is Deep Cleaning Teeth?
When a dental professional refers to deep cleaning teeth, they’re often working with patients who are struggling with gum disease. Gum disease occurs when your brushing and flossing habits don’t clean all of the plaque from your teeth. Over time plaque will build up more and eventually cause gum disease. Another common term for deep cleaning teeth is dental scaling.
Gum Disease
Gum disease refers to the build-up of bacteria over time, which leads to plaque. After this plaque has built up, it will spread and work its way down the tooth and into the gum. When this happens, it’s referred to as periodontal disease or gum disease. Some of the common symptoms of periodontal disease include:
- Bad breath that won’t go away
- Red or swollen gums
- Tender or bleeding gums
- Painful chewing
- Loose teeth
- Sensitive teeth
- Receding gums or longer appearing teeth
Each of these symptoms can occur for other reasons, but when you experience more than one of them at the same time, then you are most likely experiencing gum disease. Be sure to reach out to your dental professional if you feel like you’re experiencing gum disease. Your dental professional will be able to offer a few different treatment options. One of which is deep cleaning. View our gum health guide!
Why Deep Cleaning Teeth Is Important?
The process of deep cleaning teeth goes a step further than simply cleaning the teeth. Where many cleanings would stop at simply removing plaque from the surface of your teeth, deep cleaning actually cleans the teeth along and into the gum line. This better allows your gums to reattach to the teeth properly and seal out any unwanted bacteria and plaque.
Pros and Cons of Deep Cleaning or Scaling
So what else goes into deep cleaning that makes it different from regular cleaning, and is it worth it to talk with your dentist about deep cleaning your teeth? Let’s look into the pros and cons so that we have a better idea of the advantages and disadvantages or each.
Deep Cleaning Pros
- Reduces the effects of gum disease and helps to prevent gum disease
- Cleans the teeth much more thoroughly than any at-home treatment
- Protects the roots or base of your teeth from bacteria and plaque
- It’s a simple procedure but may require more than one appointment
- Helps to relieve bad breath
Deep Cleaning Cons
- Can be harmful to patients who have a poor immune system or are immunocompromised
- Often require Novocain or other local anesthetics
- It doesn’t cure gum disease just helps to relieve it
- You’ll often need to come back for more than one appointment
- The benefits are dependent upon your ability to practice oral healthcare
- Can cause your gums to recede which would lead to a change in the appearance of your smile
Laser Dentistry as an Alternative to Deep Cleaning
As you might have guessed, deep cleaning or scaling is an important dental procedure. While it is something you can choose to avoid, you won’t be able to fully get rid of your gum disease without some sort of intervention by a dental professional. But don’t let that worry you! Thankfully there is an alternative to traditional deep cleaning. That alternative is laser dentistry.
Laser dentistry with the Solea Laser is a way to address the negative effects of dental operations while still getting the same quality of care and, in many cases, the same results.
Laser dentistry, specifically with the Solea Laser, the treatment that we use at Wayzata Dental, is a safe and effective way to receive dental treatments without the need for Novocain or other pain killers. With a laser, the dentist is able to accurately address any area on your mouth and treat it efficiently in a way that promotes oral health but is almost entirely painless. Here are some of the benefits of laser dentistry vs. traditional dentistry.
Benefits of Laser Dentistry
- Less painful procedures – sometimes no pain at all
- No local anesthetics or Novocain needed
- Lower chance of bacteria infection after the procedure
- Minimized bleeding in soft tissue treatments
- Less swelling following the procedure
These are just some of the benefits that you can experience when using laser dentistry. There are many more for those that might have more complex conditions. But the pain of the dentist doesn’t have to be something that you’re afraid of anymore. Laser dentistry takes care of that.
Book Your Appointment Today With Wayzata Dental!
To learn more about laser dentistry, the pros, and cons, and to schedule, your own laser dental appointment, reach out to Wayzata Dental today! You can book an appointment online here, or you can reach us by phone at 952-473-4900. We’ve been able to make hundreds of thousands of customers happy over the years and helped many individuals overcome their fear of the dentist.