Scaling and Root Planning

The treatment you had today is an important first step to improving and maintaining your oral and overall health. It is now critical for YOU to maintain the cleanliness of the teeth and gum tissues so that the periodontal pockets will not be re-infected and cause the treatment to need to be repeated! The treated areas may feel tender at first, but continue to clean the teeth and gum line gently but thoroughly, as instructed.  This will help the gums heal and return to health as quickly as possible.

 
Recommended Home Care:  Please call us if you have any questions or concerns about these instructions:

• Gently brush the teeth and gum line as instructed for 3-5 minutes. Check with your tongue for any missed plaque.
• Floss both sides of each tooth with the C-shape technique (hugging the tooth) Twice daily is ideal.***
• Use dental picks between teeth and/or in periodontal pockets as instructed: proxy-brushes, rubber-tipped picks, Stimudents, etc.***
• After brushing to remove plaque, apply a toothbrush-sized amount of stannous fluoride gel with a dry manual toothbrush and/or a dry proxybrush.  Expectorate (spit) but do NOT rinse, eat, or drink for at least 30 minutes.  

***PLEASE NOTE: Periodontal pockets where Arestin antibiotic is placed should NOT be cleaned with proxybrushes or any other type of dental toothpick until they are re-evaluated (30 days after placement). However, thorough brushing of these areas IS necessary to preserve the health of the gum tissue, and flossing should be resumed in 10 days. 
 
 
If my gums are sore, what can I do to soothe them?
It is common to have sore gum tissues and tooth sensitivity after a deep periodontal cleaning.  This is because bacterial deposits and toxins have been removed from the inflamed periodontal (gum) tissues.  This will allow your body to begin the healing and rebuilding process.  If you allow the bacteria to re-infect the periodontal tissues the healing process will stop.  As the healing process continues, the sensitivity should subside.  This is why it is so important for you to clean your teeth thoroughly every day.  Additionally, you can use an over the counter fluoride rinse, such as Act, and/or a desensitizing tooth paste, like Sensodyne.
 
You can take whatever medications you normally take for pain relief to help alleviate any discomfort you have.  Ibuprofen (Advil) or other anti-inflammatory medications are most helpful, but you should only take medications approved by your doctor(s). 
 
Listerine or a warm salt water rinse can be soothing to sore or inflamed gum tissue (Listerine may cause a burning sensation initially).  Please note that many oral rinses claim to “fight plaque,” but there are no over-the-counter rinses that can remove plaque! 
                                                                                                                          Will I need this treatment again?
The success of this treatment is solely up to you and your ability to keep the areas clean. If you are able to maintain the tissue health, this treatment may need only to be repeated every 3-5 years and at that time maybe only on specific teeth.
 
If you are unable to keep the tissues clean and there continues to be deep areas of the gum tissues that are “dirty” and infected, we will refer you to a highly trained Periodontal (gum) specialist who will treat these areas more aggressively.
 
Your efforts on a daily basis are what control the need for treatment so be diligent and it will pay off!!!!