Difference Between Regular Cleaning and Deep Cleaning
Dental issues like gum disease and cavities can impede your ability to speak or eat properly. They also cause bad breath and pain that can be severe enough to affect one’s day-to-day functioning.
While these are the more obvious results of poor dental health, there are other, less obvious ones. Poor oral care can affect far more than just your mouth. Diabetes, heart health, and pregnancy can all be affected by poor oral health. There have also been links between poor dental health and chronic inflammatory diseases like arthritis.
Dental cleanings is one of the key things recommended for good oral health and preventive dentistry.
Regular vs. Deep Cleaning
The type of cleaning you get is dependent on several factors.
While most people assume both procedures are more or less the same, they are very distinctive.
Regular cleaning is carried out every six months at your routine visit. This cleaning is done to promote healthy gums. When this is done, it removes bacteria buildup and tartar that has accumulated between cleanings. When this is done properly, coupled with regular flossing and brushing, bacteria are kept at a minimum, giving way to healthy teeth and gums.
Deep cleaning is slightly more involved.
When people skip too many dental visits or neglect their dental care, there is significant tartar and bacteria buildup. At times, gum disease is present, leading to the formation of ‘pockets’ in the gum. Over time, tartar and bacteria accumulate in these pockets. If this
situation is allowed to fester, it can lead to significant complications such as periodontal disease. Periodontal disease makes one more susceptible to tooth loss and is a leading cause of missing teeth.
A deep cleaning involves scaling and root planing. Scaling is removing tartar and plaque from the surface of the teeth and gum pockets. On the other hand, root scaling involves the removal of plaque and tartar from the surface of the roots.
The differences do not end there.
As you can tell from the description, a deep cleaning is more extensive than routine cleaning. While regular cleaning is often completed in one appointment, deep cleaning takes longer and might requires anywhere from 2 to 4 appointments to complete. The dentist might also recommend follow-up visits to help monitor the patient’s progress. A third differentiation comes in the way of periodontal disease. Routine cleaning will not do much to slow down or eliminate periodontal disease. However, a deep cleaning can help reverse its progression, with positive results noted within three months of the deep cleaning.
It’s impossible to tell which cleaning you will need without an evaluation from your doctor. Be sure to have routine check-ups every six months. This will ensure you get proper and timely dental care.