DENTAL HYGIENIST

Root Planing and Curettage

Root planing or 'cleaning' is deep scaling to clean parts of the teeth below the gum-line which cannot be reached with a toothbrush. Gums can become diseased so that they look red and puffy. They will probably bleed when you brush. Painless gum 'pockets' start to form around the teeth and bone supporting the teeth is slowly lost.

Root planing cleans out these pockets and removes plaque and hard tartar from the tooth roots. It takes longer than a scale and polish and is sometimes done under local anaesthetic. Your mouth might be treated in sections, at more than one visit.

Scaling and polishing

This is more commonly known as 'cleaning'. The hygienist and/or the dentist will remove plaque and tartar on your teeth. The teeth will also be polished using a high speed drill. This will help to remove stains on the teeth caused by smoking, coffee, tea and alcohol. It will not remove all the stains and this should not be expected.

How is this done?

Hand scalers come in many different shapes and sizes. Many instruments may be used on your teeth.

Electric scalers vibrate very fast with water. The water is removed from your mouth using suction. A hand scaler is used to check whether the roots are completely clean if a root planing is being done.

After a root plan treatment, the pocket should shrink, making the gum sit closer to the tooth. You then need to be especially careful about cleaning the teeth above the gum-line. Root planing will probably need to be repeated regularly.

What are the benefits?

Gum disease will get worse if it is not treated. Because it is painless, it can become very bad without you noticing. When there is not enough supporting bone left, teeth become loose and eventually have to be taken out. Root planing can stop gum disease becoming worse and prevent tooth loss.

Like scaling and polishing, root planing helps you to keep your teeth and gums clean at home. Dentists and dental hygienists cannot keep your mouth healthy by themselves. Your own cleaning is just as important.