Most dental patients come into the office twice a year for a teeth cleaning. However, some patients are told that they need to get a deep cleaning instead, & that they need to see us more often than twice a year. While a regular teeth cleaning is a routine procedure, it’s important to know that a deep cleaning is very different & is actually a treatment for an oral disease.
If you pay attention when you visit the dentist, you may hear our staff & hygienists referring to your appointment as “a prophy”. This is short for “prophylactic”, which is a word that comes from Greek & means “treatment to prevent a disease”. We call a teeth cleaning prophylactic because the purpose of a cleaning is to prevent disease or dental problems in a patient that has otherwise healthy teeth & gums.
A deep cleaning is often referred to as “soft tissue management” or “periodontal therapy”. That’s because a deep cleaning is actually a treatment for periodontal disease (or gum disease). Your dentist will recommend a deep cleaning if you are showing signs of developing gum disease or if you have already been diagnosed with gum disease.
A deep cleaning is not just an extra-thorough version of a prophy teeth cleaning. Regular teeth cleanings involve removing plaque & debris from the visible part of the teeth & polishing your teeth. A deep cleaning includes going below the gumline to remove disease-causing bacteria & cleaning the tooth roots so it is harder for bad bacteria to grow there.
If left untreated, gum disease eventually leads to tooth loss & other health problems associated with chronic oral disease. So if your dentist or hygienist tells you that you need a deep cleaning, it’s not like they’re offering you the “Deluxe Car Wash” versus the “Basic Car Wash”. What they’re telling you is that we need to create a treatment plan to manage the health of your gums so that we can keep your smile as happy & healthy as possible!