Dental scaling and cleaning are performed on people who have an excessive build-up of plaque. While scaling is a deep cleaning process and is recommended by doctors, regular cleaning is a routine clean-up that anyone can get. People who follow a good oral hygiene routine also have a build-up of plaque on their teeth. However, doctors only recommend scaling when plaque and bacteria begin to damage teeth and jaw health. Scaling reaches beneath the gum line to remove plaque and bacterial build-up from underneath. This article will discuss why scaling and cleaning are recommended to people.
Why are Dental Scaling and Cleaning Recommended?
Scaling and cleaning are regular dental clean-up procedures. Tartar forms on teeth irrespective of the oral hygiene that you follow. With very good oral hygiene, the build-up might be less, but it will always be there. Therefore, getting a dental clean-up once in a while is never a bad idea. It only helps in keeping strong dental health and prevents any gum diseases.
However, scaling is recommended for people who suffer from gum diseases. The excessive build-up of tartar and plaque leads to bacterial accumulation in the gums, which then start to damage the tooth’s root. The damage might turn into tooth decay or some other serious gum disease.
When you have healthy gums, they have the potential to fight against bacteria. However, if you delay regular cleaning and the plaque build-up increases, the gums start to lose from around the teeth. This loosening reduces their ability to fight the bacteria, and the bacterial build-up reaches the gum pockets.
When you begin to develop gum diseases, the gum pockets start to deepen. If your gum pockets are deeper than 3mm, you might start to develop symptoms of gum diseases such as the bad breath. Your dentist will recommend scaling at this point.
Suppose you have ongoing symptoms like bleeding gums, red, swollen gums, pain when brushing or flossing, tooth pain, gum recession, etc. You must plan an appointment with your doctor. The doctors recommend scaling with these symptoms.
Delay in getting your gum disease symptoms may lead to long-term damage such as tooth fall. Tooth fall is because the plaque and bacteria target the tooth’s root and damage the tissues that keep the tooth in place. The treatment plan varies based on the level of damage caused to gums and teeth.
Causes of Gum Diseases
Several things cause gum diseases:
Hormonal Changes
The hormonal changes in the body during pregnancy, puberty, menopause, menstruation make the gums sensitive. In addition, other medications that may lead to hormonal changes also result in gum being sensitive. As a result, it is easier for tartar to attack gums.
Illness
People with prolonged illnesses such as cancer, AIDS, diabetes, etc., are at high risk of developing gum diseases. Such illnesses weaken the immune system, hence increasing the risk of gum diseases.
Poor Oral Hygiene
No matter how good your teeth are, they still need to be cleaned and cared for. Having poor oral hygiene, like irregular brushing and flossing, is a major cause of gingivitis. It would help if you also were mindful of your habits, such as smoking. Smoking not only damages the lungs but also causes teeth problems.
What Happens During Scaling and Cleaning?
Scaling and cleaning are used to remove the accumulated tartar and plaque from teeth and gum lines to prevent gum diseases. Your dentist will run a nonsurgical procedure to cleanse the gum line and teeth. All the tartar and plaque are removed from the gum line using scaling tools.
The dentist might not use any local anesthesia because the process does not cause much pain. But if you are concerned about the pain, you should discuss it with your doctor. After the doctor scrapes off the tartar from your teeth, he will smooth the tooth roots that help the gums to reattach to the teeth.
The procedure does not take much time to finish; it takes around 1 hour to complete. However, depending upon the condition of your tooth damage, you may have to visit two or more times. You should be able to restart your oral hygiene routine after your scaling process. Brushing your teeth regularly and flossing should be in your routine.
Eating a balanced diet is important to keep up with your teeth health. Deteriorating teeth conditions also affect body strength in general. You might get a fever and feel weakness in your body which is normal but should be discussed with your doctor.
Conclusion
To summarize, cleaning is a regular procedure that people undertake for better oral hygiene. Scaling, however, is recommended by doctors based on the teeth health of the patient. In addition, it is important to get teeth scaling because a delay in treating the developmental symptoms of gingivitis and periodontal diseases may result in teeth fall out.
