Non-Surgical Periodontal Care (Scaling and Root Planing)

Non-Surgical Periodontal Care is often referred to as deep cleaning, and may be performed using a number of dental instruments, including but not limited to ultrasonic scalers and hand instruments, refered to as curettes and periodontal scalers.

The primary objective of Non-Surgical Periodontal Therapy is to assist patients in preserving their dentitions in health and function, by removing or eliminating the bacterial agents which cause inflammation: dental plaque, calculus, and stain. This enables the tooth and surrounding tissue to establish a periodontium that is disease free. If left untreated this periodontal disease will advance and spread causing the deterioration of the bone support surrounding the teeth.

There are a variety of non-surgical treatments for periodontal disease. Treatment depends on the type of periodontal disease and how far the condition has progressed. Treatments include scaling, root planing, oral irrigation, and localized delivery of antibiotics. Scaling removes deposits above and below the gum line.

Root planing smoothes out rough root surfaces to allow the gums to heal. Oral irrigation directs medicated liquid below the gum line to flush out and kill bacteria.

Localized antibiotic therapy electively targets specific sites and types of bacteria, which most specifically requires additional treament.

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