Depending on the situation, a deep cleaning needs to be done. Many people think they need a deep cleaning just because they haven’t had a cleaning in several years. However, this is not always the case. Many people come to the office using the phrase, “I need a deep cleaning because I haven’t had a cleaning in ages.” Upon their examination, their gums are completely healthy. Examination with a probe measuring the gums is required to determine weather a deep cleaning is needed or not. Periodontal probe measurements of 1-3 millimeters are healthy. Once the measurement is larger than four millimeters, a deep cleaning of that area is required.
Pain Tolerance and Necessity for Anesthesia
It depends on the patient. Some patients need anesthesia, some do not, depending on sensitivity and pain tolerance of that patient. Many patients have huge pockets and prefer not to be anesthetized. Some patients want to be anesthetized for a regular cleaning. We successfully assess the need on a patient to patient basis.
Can it all be done at once?
On some patients, plaque and calculus are easier to remove, and it can be done all at once. On others, the calculus is very stubborn and does not come off. Therefore, it depends on the doctors and the patient’s fatigue, which we assess during the initial exam and consultation.
Some patients will require a Chlorhexidine mouth rinse and other adjunct site-specific antibiotics, such as arrestin, periochip, etc., to heal the pockets. This will be determined at three-month recall visits. When a deep cleaning is done on a patient, we re-assess the conditions of the gums and maintain the cleaning every three months until the patient’s gums are back to normal. This is called a periodontal maintenance. Some people may even need a surgical intervention if the problem persists, depending on the severity. Again, this is all determined during consultation.
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