Root Planing and Scaling Explained

Your dentist might use a couple of different terms to describe your gum disease: gingivitis or periodontitis. Basically, gingivitis is mild gum disease where your gums become inflamed and prone to bleeding. Periodontitis is more severe, and it means that there's damage to the bones around your teeth [source: Healthwise]. If you have gingivitis, your dentist may recommend upping your brushing and flossing game at home, but if you're suffering from periodontitis, root planing and scaling can help heal your gums and teeth without resorting to surgery [source: Healthwise].

Gum disease can be painful and cause you to lose teeth. It's also linked to a higher risk for other health problems, because it causes bacteria to enter your body, leading to inflammation. This triggers production of a protein that's linked to heart disease and stroke [source: Rohm]. Your body is using its resources to fight that inflammation, and stressing out your immune system, which should be keeping you safe from disease.

If your dentist determines that you do have periodontitis, root planing and scaling are usually the first treatments that she will try to non-surgically treat you [source: American Academy of Periodontology]. Some people find it painful, while others just think it's uncomfortable. Your dentist will use a local anesthetic to numb your mouth before starting the procedure [source: Healthwise] Local anesthetic should prevent you from feeling pain during the procedures. Instead, you'll just feel the pressure of the instruments in your mouth.

Root planing and scaling fight gum disease in two ways: by removing the plaque that's on your teeth deep down in your gums and smoothing out areas of your teeth where bacteria like to live [source: NIDCR]. The earlier you start treating gum disease, the better your chances of being able to take care of the problem without surgery and the lower your risk of losing any teeth.

Once the procedure is complete, your dentist will give you some aftercare instructions. What can you expect?

Root planing and scaling is an outpatient procedure, so once the cleaning is complete, you get to go home and rest. While this isn't surgery, you do need to give your teeth and gums a little bit of extra attention after the procedures to help your body heal.

If your dentist used anesthetic it's important not to chew, because when your mouth is numb, you can injure yourself by biting down on your lips or tongue. Your dentist may also recommend that you take an over-the-counter anti-inflammatory, like ibuprofen, as needed to help with pain and swelling [source: Snydman]. You may need to visit your doctor again to have the antibiotic fibers removed from your gums, if he used them in the procedures [source: Healthwise].

Good oral hygiene helps you heal, so brush, floss, and use a mouthwash to keep bacteria and plaque at bay. While your gums heal, your teeth or gums may be more sensitive. If it's painful to brush your teeth after the procedures, you can switch to a toothpaste that's specifically made for sensitive teeth [source: Snydman].

It usually takes more than one treatment to complete root planing and scaling on your mouth. Since all of that deep cleaning can leave your teeth pretty sensitive, the dentist will only do one part your mouth at a time. The number of treatments can depend on the severity of your gum disease and your oral hygiene habits, and usually takes three to four visits to complete the process. Your dentist will schedule your follow-up appointments, usually leaving you a week to recover before the next one. She'll probably also recommend more frequent cleanings after scaling and root planing to help prevent the return of gum disease [source: UMMC].