Dental scaling is routinely performed with dental scaler to assist patients with gum disease and excessive plaque buildup. While the standard cleaning will resolve the tooth surface, the scaling is much deeper. If your dentist recommends dental scaling and root planning for your teeth, then understanding what it means is helpful so you can prepare for what’s ahead.
For patients with gum disease, scaling is a common dental procedure. This is a type of dental cleaning that can reach below the gum line to eliminate plaque buildup. The process of scaling teeth and root planning is often referred to as deep cleaning. This treatment goes beyond the general cleaning that you receive with your regular checkup and annual visit.
Everyone experiences some form of plaque buildup. The saliva in the mouth, bacteria and proteins form a thin layer that covers the teeth at almost any time. When you eat, tiny particles, sour and sugar in the food stick to the film, creating accumulations on the teeth called plaque. Bacteria living in this plaque can cause gum disease and tooth decay. Brushing your teeth, flossing and regularly cleaning your teeth can help remove plaque and prevent more serious problems.
If your gums are healthy, the tissue will fit tightly to the teeth and keep the plaque out. However, if gum disease begins to form, this tissue will loosen. Healthy gums are attached to the teeth only 1 to 3 millimeters below the gum line. With gum disease, you will begin to develop deeper pockets. These can fill the plaque, worsening your problems and causing symptoms such as bad breath.
If you have 4mm or more pockets, your dentist may recommend dental scaling to remove the plaque under the gums and help treat the gum disease.
During the procedure, dentist would like to use professional tools, such as the ultrasonic scaler, even the Scaler with Water Bottle, which is now widely used in dentistry. And among all the dental scalers, the woodpecker dental ultrasonic scaler is the most popular for dentist.