Scaling & Root Planing

Prevent Gum Disease with Scaling and Root Planing

teeth

Dr. Derek Evans and Dr. Daniel Goold will check for signs of periodontal disease during your regular exams. If you are diagnosed with this condition, our dentists may recommend scaling and root planing to remove the disease-causing factors in your mouth and help improve your oral health.

Scaling and root planing is one of the most common and effective treatments recommended for gum disease before it becomes severe. This deep cleaning treatment includes two main steps:

  • Scaling: In scaling, we remove plaque and tartar (dental calculus) from the tooth surface.
  • Root Planing: This step involves cleaning the roots of the teeth, smoothing them to remove bacterial toxins.

The goals of scaling and root planing are to remove bacteria, plaque, and tartar, and to halt the progress of the disease. While most scaling and root planing treatments can be completed comfortably without an anesthetic, our dentists can offer several anesthetics and other comfort options to make certain that you feel at ease during your treatment. The scaling and root planing treatment may be split up into several appointments, in which we treat one section of the mouth at each appointment.

Scaling and root planing may be combined with other types of periodontal therapy, such as antibiotic treatment. For most patients, scaling and root planing is enough to prevent periodontal disease from progressing further.

Call Gentle Dentistry at 435-986-9799 to learn more about scaling and root planing in St. George, Utah, and schedule your appointment.