Effective Gum Disease Treatment: Root Planning & Scaling

Oral Disinfection

Popularly called Oral Prophylaxis in dental jargon, oral disinfection means involves a host of procedures like scaling and root planning.

How to check for the health of your gums:

Healthy gums are firm and tight. Neither can they be pulled away from the bone nor do they feel soft and squishy as a rule.

Healthy gums are pink in colour and may posses some amount of racial melanin pigmentation. Dark coloured gums aren’t a cause for concern folks! But red, bleeding gums are.

Healthy gums should feel, look and SMELL clean. If you constantly get a bad odour or feel roughness and bulk around the neck of your teeth, it’s time to pay your dentist a little visit.

If your teeth feel loose, your teeth seem to be getting longer over time or they seem to have moved from where they were before (development of gaps), you’ll want to get a consult a gum specialist, called a periodontist.

In the event of the above mentioned symptoms, your dentist may ask you to undergo oral prophylaxis or scaling and root planning. An ultrasonic instrument is used to break down the bacteria and debris accumulated on the surface of the tooth that is essentially causing the gum to detach from the bone and associated problems like bleeding, loosening of teeth and more. It should be noted there that, regular appointments maybe necessary to combat years of build up. Depending on the severity of the case, your dentist may recommend adjunct procedures like flap surgery and bone grafting.

Oral prophylaxis should be done at least once in 6 months for a healthy adult individual. This does not mean that maintenance procedures aren’t followed at home! You still have to brush twice a day, floss twice a day, rinse after a meal and avoid the frequent consumption of sticky, sugary foods and beverages.