You sit in the dental chair feeling pretty confident about your oral health, only to hear your dentist mention needing a “deep cleaning.” Wait, what? You’ve been brushing twice a day and coming in for your regular cleanings. However, the difference between regular and deep cleaning comes down to what’s happening beneath your gumline, in places your toothbrush simply can’t reach.
At Ocean Breeze Implant & Esthetic Dentistry, Dr. Nicholas Goetz helps patients throughout Delray Beach understand exactly what their gums need and why it matters. As one of only 150 maxillofacial prosthodontists in the United States, Dr. Goetz brings advanced training to every aspect of dental care, including teeth cleanings: keeping your gums healthy and protecting the structures that hold your teeth in place.
What Regular Cleanings Address
Think of your regular cleaning as routine maintenance for your smile. These preventive appointments focus on removing plaque and tartar from the visible surfaces of your teeth and just at the gumline, keeping everything fresh and healthy. Most patients come in twice a year for these cleanings, which include polishing the teeth and checking for any developing problems.
During a regular cleaning, your hygienist uses specialized tools to gently scrape away the hardened plaque that daily brushing can’t remove. They’ll also polish your teeth to remove surface stains and leave your smile feeling smooth and clean. These routine cleanings work well for patients with generally healthy gums, helping prevent problems before they start.
The process is usually quick and painless. You might feel some pressure or hear scraping sounds, but there shouldn’t be any significant discomfort. Your hygienist will also check the depth of the spaces between your teeth and gums, looking for any signs that a more thorough cleaning might be needed in the future.
When Deep Cleaning Becomes Necessary
A deep cleaning, technically called scaling and root planing, takes care of problems that have developed below your gumline. This procedure becomes necessary when you have periodontal disease, where plaque and tartar have built up on the root surfaces of your teeth beneath the gums. Without treatment, this bacterial buildup can damage the bone and tissue supporting your teeth.
Gum disease affects more people than you might think. Nearly half of all adults over 30 have some form of periodontal disease, and many don’t realize it until their dentist discovers it during an exam. The good news is that catching it early makes treatment much more straightforward.
Signs You Might Need a Deep Cleaning
Your dentist will measure the pockets between your teeth and gums during your checkup. Pockets deeper than 3mm indicate that plaque and tartar have accumulated below the gumline, creating spaces where bacteria thrive. You might notice some warning signs at home, too.
Common indicators include:
- Gums that look red or swollen rather than their normal pink color
- Bleeding when you brush or floss
- Persistent bad breath that doesn’t go away with regular brushing
- Gums that seem to be pulling away from your teeth
- Teeth that feel slightly loose
In the early stages, gum disease appears as gingivitis, which causes sore, inflamed, red gums that might bleed during brushing. At this point, improved home care and regular cleaning might be enough to reverse the problem. But if gingivitis progresses into periodontitis, you’ll need a deep cleaning to get things back on track.
How Deep Cleaning Works
Deep cleaning is a two-step process that removes plaque and tartar from the root surfaces below the gumline. First, your dentist or hygienist scales away the buildup using special instruments that can reach deep into the pockets around your teeth. Then, they smooth the root surfaces through a process called root planing, making it harder for bacteria to stick and accumulate again.
The procedure often requires local anesthesia to keep you comfortable, and your dentist might schedule it over two visits to thoroughly clean all areas of your mouth. Afterward, you might experience some sensitivity or minor bleeding for a few days, but these effects fade quickly as your gums heal.
Get the Care Your Smile Deserves at Ocean Breeze Implant & Esthetic Dentistry
Whether you need a routine cleaning or more intensive care for gum disease, the right treatment protects your teeth for years to come. Dr. Goetz and the team at Ocean Breeze Implant & Esthetic Dentistry provide thorough evaluations to determine exactly what your smile needs, then deliver care with the precision and attention to detail that comes from advanced training and years of experience.
Ready to schedule your next cleaning or learn more about your gum health? Contact our Delray Beach office today to book your appointment and take the next step toward a healthier smile.
