But what exactly does this procedure involve? Here are the details on a scaling and root planing procedure and what you can expect if your dentist has recommended this treatment to improve your gum health.

Understanding the Procedure

Scaling and root planing consist of two main components, as the name suggests. 

Scaling removes plaque, tartar, and bacteria from both above and below the gum line down to the roots of the affected teeth. Root planing smooths out rough spots on tooth roots where tartar has accumulated.

The process reaches deep into periodontal pockets, which are spaces between the teeth and gums that get deeper with gum disease. Dentists typically use a combination of manual and ultrasonic instruments to complete the procedure with local anesthesia for comfort.

When Scaling and Root Planing Are Necessary

Scaling and root planing are meant to treat gum disease [2]. If you have periodontal pockets measuring 4mm or deeper, visible tartar buildup, bleeding or tender gums, or evidence of bone loss in the jaw, your dentist may recommend a scaling and root planing procedure to restore your gum health.

What to Expect During a Scaling and Root Planing Procedure

After your initial consultation, you may need to schedule a separate appointment for your scaling and root planing.

Your mouth will be numbed with local anesthesia before your dentist or hygienist begins the procedure. They’ll use specialized tools, including ultrasonic scalers and hand instruments, to meticulously remove plaque, tartar, and bacteria above and below the gum line (scaling).

They then smooth out rough spots on the tooth roots (planing). This process is typically done one section of the mouth at a time. The cleaning extends into the periodontal pockets, reaching areas that regular brushing and flossing can’t.

After the procedure, your mouth may take up to a month to fully heal, although initial healing only takes two to three days. Your dentist will want to see you back for regular checkups to ensure your smile is healing properly and that the procedure has the intended effect.

Ensuring Long-Term Success After the Procedure

Scaling and root planing isn’t a standalone treatment for gum inflammation and disease. It’s crucial to continue proper oral hygiene at home to ensure success after your initial treatment [3].

Depending on the severity of your periodontal disease, you may need subsequent scaling and root planing procedures to heal your smile. Your dentist may also prescribe antibiotics to clear up any infection in your oral cavity due to gum disease. 

Your dental team will work closely with you to ensure you have the best chance of success with this procedure and recovering from gum disease.

Schedule Your Scaling and Root Planing Procedure Today

If you have bleeding, tender, or inflamed gum tissue, you could benefit from scaling and root planing. Schedule an appointment with your dental professional today for a comprehensive periodontal evaluation and to discuss whether scaling and root planing might benefit your smile and protect your oral health!

Sources:

1. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27929624/
2. https://www.ada.org/sitecore/content/ADA-Organization/ADA/MouthHealthy/home/all-topics-a-z/scaling-and-root-planing
3. https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/scaling-and-root-planing

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Both options provide different levels of comfort and consciousness during dental procedures, each with its own unique benefits and considerations.

So, what is the difference between sedation and sleep dentistry, and how can you choose the right one for your procedure?

What Is Sedation Dentistry?

Sedation dentistry uses various medications to help patients relax during dental procedures while remaining conscious. Often called “conscious sedation,” patients stay awake but feel calm and relaxed.

Nitrous oxide, commonly known as laughing gas, represents the mildest form of sedation. Oral sedation involves taking prescribed medication before the procedure, creating a deeper state of relaxation [1].

The strongest form of sedation dentistry uses intravenous (IV) medications, allowing the dentist to adjust sedation levels throughout the procedure while maintaining consciousness.

• Minimal sedation keeps patients fully awake but relaxed.
• Moderate sedation might cause slurred speech and limited memory of the procedure.
• Deep sedation brings patients to the edge of consciousness, though they can still be awakened when needed.

Throughout all levels of sedation dentistry, patients maintain their natural protective reflexes and can respond to physical and verbal stimulation.

What Is Sleep Dentistry?

Sleep dentistry, or general anesthesia, represents a completely different approach to patient comfort. Under general anesthesia, patients become fully unconscious and cannot be easily awakened until the medications wear off.

This method requires an anesthesiologist’s presence and specialized monitoring equipment. The medications used affect the entire body, not just consciousness levels, requiring careful preparation and recovery protocols [2].

Key Differences and Considerations

The following aspects differentiate these two approaches to dental comfort:

• Consciousness level. Sedation maintains partial awareness, while patients under general anesthesia will not be aware of the procedure.
• Medical supervision requirements. An anesthesiologist is required to be present throughout the procedure for sleep dentistry.
• Recovery duration. Sedation dentistry patients often recover within two to four hours, but it can take up to 24 hours for sleep dentistry patients to fully recover. 
• Cost implications. Due to the level of care required, sleep dentistry is more expensive than sedation dentistry.
• Risk levels. Since sleep dentistry is general anesthesia, it has higher risks associated with it and may not be suitable for all patients.

Medical Evaluation Process

Both methods require thorough pre-procedure evaluation. Doctors assess cardiovascular health, respiratory function, and current medications [3]. Sleep dentistry requires extensive testing, including potential bloodwork and EKG monitoring. Patients with sleep apnea, obesity, or certain heart conditions may face restrictions on which method they can safely use.

Making an Informed Choice

If you’re considering sedation or sleep dentistry for an upcoming dental procedure, it’s crucial to discuss each method with your dentist to determine the best option. Your dentist can help you make the right choice for your procedure type, health, and other factors. You don’t have to let dental anxiety or dental phobia prevent you from getting the care you need—ask your dentist about sedation and sleep dentistry today.

Sources:

1. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/22275-sedation-dentistry
2. https://agd.org/constituent/news/2022/01/17/dentists-and-sedation
3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK592406/

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Your dentist can examine your jaw and likely tell if you have a problem with the TMJ and talk with you about treatments that could help relieve your migraines. What is the link between migraines and the TMJ?

Misaligned TMJ Causes Tension

The TMJ is the joint that anchors your jawbone to your skull. This complex joint is responsible for helping you chew your food and speak properly, not to mention yawn! The muscles that help to support this joint may be the cause of your migraines if you have a misaligned TMJ. When the TMJ is misaligned, it causes pressure on these muscles whenever you move your jaw. This is because the muscles are trying to readjust themselves back into place—the constant pressure of these straining muscles that support an uneven TMJ can cause migraines!

Jaw Problems Cause Additional Symptoms

If you have a problem with your TMJ, such as misalignment, this issue can cause additional symptoms that may contribute to your migraines. For instance, people with a TMJ disorder are more likely to grind their teeth. Teeth grinding puts immense pressure on your teeth and jaw and can be responsible for tension headaches and migraines. You may also experience other symptoms such as aching teeth or even earaches along with your migraines if you suffer from a TMJ disorder!

Teeth Touching Creates Pressure

If you have an abnormal bite in which your teeth constantly touch, also called malocclusion, you likely have a TMJ disorder. Your teeth shouldn’t touch at all—not when the jaw is resting and very rarely during eating. When your teeth touch as the result of an uneven jaw, this touching can cause your jaw muscles to contract. When this happens, pressure is created and this pressure can cause tension throughout the cranium and may end up causing a severe headache or migraine.

Causes and Treatment

There’s no exact cause of TMJ disorders. Your TMJ misalignment could be the result of an injury to your face and jaw, malocclusion, or even stress, anxiety, and arthritis. Often it may be a combination of these factors that causes your TMJ disorder and migraine headaches. Fortunately, there is treatment for TMJ disorders. Your dentist can examine your jaw joint and talk with you about any symptoms you may be experiencing.

If you’ve been suffering from migraines and medication or other therapies haven’t helped, the underlying problem could be in your jaw! The link between the TMJ and migraines is evident in that problems with the TMJ create pressure and tension which can lead to severe migraines, especially if the problem is ongoing. By visiting an experienced dentist, you can find out if jaw tension or a misaligned bite is actually causing your headaches!

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Teeth Grinding

Athletes run a higher risk of damage to their teeth and gums through bruxism, or teeth grinding. Teeth grinding can happen during intense exercises, as a result of stress, or even an injury. It’s important to wear custom mouth guards if appropriate for the sport you’re playing. If not, try to be aware of whether or not you grind your teeth during exercises. Bruxism is a serious threat to your oral health and can lead to tooth enamel damage, inflamed gums, and even tooth loss. Consider dental guards or exercises and workouts that are low impact. You shouldn’t be grinding your teeth during an exercise, even if it’s a difficult one!

Dry Mouth

One of the biggest influential factors of poor dental health among athletes was found to be their saliva (link to study: http://www.ada.org/en/publications/ada-news/2014-archive/november/endurance-athletes-may-be-more-prone-to-tooth-erosion-and-caries-researchers-say) —not only did the pH of athlete’s saliva change as they worked out, but saliva also decreased due to mouth breathing. Breathing through your mouth can quickly dry out your mouth, leaving a perfect space for bad bacteria to thrive. Lack of saliva in addition to bad bacteria can erode your enamel over time and lead to cavities, gingivitis, and tooth loss.

Instead of breathing through your mouth, try better breathing methods such as through your nose. It may take time to build up to working out with your mouth shut the whole time, which could mean decreasing the intensity of your workouts while your body adjusts. It’s worth it to protect your teeth!

Diet—Sports Drinks and “Health” Bars

While some studies haven’t found a direct link between athlete’s dental health and their diet, diet still plays an important role in oral health. Athletes may be predisposed to having dental problems as a result of their dry mouth, and a dry mouth isn’t the best environment to be introducing sports drinks to. The conventional sports drink is packed with processed salts and sugar, which are doing your body more harm than good!

Many “energy” bars tend to be packed with sugar as well. Learn to read the label and remember that whole foods are better than buying pre-packaged ones. Toss the sports drinks and opt for more natural alternatives, such as coconut water. If you don’t like the taste of coconut water, you can add whole salts like pink Himalayan sea salt to your water (just a pinch) to help get those trace minerals you need in addition to rehydrating.

Exercise is so important for your body! Although athletes are more at risk for poor dental health, you can adopt healthy practices to reap the benefits of exercise and still have a great smile. Don’t grind your teeth, breathe through your nose, and rehydrate with coconut water during breaks. Healthy teeth, healthy body!

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Bacteria – Nails are usually the dirtiest part of a person’s hands (which isn’t a clean part of the body to begin with). Spreading bacteria in your mouth is terrible for your teeth as bacteria growth contributes to plaque buildup and tooth decay.

Wear and Fractures – When a person bites his or her nails, teeth wear unevenly. There is also a risk for fracture because pressure is concentrated on just one part of a tooth surface while trying to bite through the nail.

Promotes Bruxism – Repeatedly biting down on your nails, especially if you do so when stressed, can actually train your body to grind your teeth in times of stress. Teeth grinding, or bruxism can wear away enamel and cause jaw pain.

TMJ Disorder – A severe habit of nail biting can result in jaw problems as the jaw is clenched when a person is biting hard on their nails. The resulting condition, TMJ disorder, can be very painful.

Is this list of consequences enough to convince you to stop biting your nails? What if the problem now is that it is a deeply ingrained habit? How can you break free?

Tips to Help Break the Habit

Here are a few things you can try in order to stop biting your nails.

Stress management – Often, nail biting is a response to stress. Stress management techniques can help reduce the underlying cause of the nail biting.

Keep nails trimmed short – Sometimes, it may be as simple as not giving yourself much to bite on.

Treat yourself – Go out and get a manicure. Maybe the expense and well-groomed nails will be enough encouragement to leave them alone.

Polish – Whether you use a colored or clear polish, if you can find one that tastes really bad, that may help you catch yourself when you start to bite your nails without thinking about it.

Regardless of what you need to do to stop, know that you are doing it for a good reason. Nail biting is tough on your teeth. Quitting the habit may save your thousands in dental work in the future.

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Custom for You

When you buy at-home whitening kits for your teeth, these kits were not made with you in mind. They were made with the generic consumer in mind, meaning the trays (or strips) will likely be either too large or too small for your teeth. This could create an improper whitening, leaving some of your teeth looking white and others not-so-white. In addition to this, if you have crowns, veneers, implants, or another form of restorative dentistry, this will need to be evaluated by your dentist before the whitening process, as the at-home kits can impact the appearance of your teeth.

Professional Treatment

Your dentist is able to evaluate your teeth to ensure the whitening process will be successful. This means looking to see if your enamel is in good shape, if you have any prior dental work that should be considered, and make the bleaching agent custom for your teeth. The bleach used will also be stronger than the at-home kits, meaning you’ll get better results in a shorter period of time. At-home kits can take some time to work (at least ten to twenty days or longer in most cases), but a single visit to the dentist can get your teeth white in under two hours. This professional treatment is ideal for those looking to have their teeth whitened for an event such as a wedding. Having this type of professional supervision and treatment is not something that can be replicated with an at-home kit.

It’s Safer

If used correctly, at-home kits pose a few risks, but overuse of these risks can lead to over-bleaching your teeth. Over time, this will wear down your enamel (the hard, protective layer over your teeth), make your teeth more sensitive, and cause permanent damage. The loss of enamel is irreversible; it doesn’t come back. Since the at-home kits were not made to fit your specific teeth, this means there’s more of a chance of gum irritation from the bleach. At-home whitening is even more dangerous if you haven’t been to a dentist in a while—there could be a problem with your mouth such as gum disease or tooth decay that would be irritated by the bleaching. A professional teeth whitening is always safer with your dentist. Don’t trust the “professional” label on the at-home kits to give you your perfect smile—there are risks for gum and tooth damage, as well as uneven whitening.

Professional teeth whitening trumps at-home kits every time. While at-home kits can be safe if used correctly, they’re not custom like a visit to your dentist would be, and they take more time. Visit your dentist for a professional teeth whitening, and be safe with your beautiful smile!

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