Professional Dental Cleanings

A regular dental exam and cleaning every 6 months to remove tartar and plaque on the surface of the teeth is highly recommended. As part of your regular cleaning and dental exam, I will refer and coordinate your visit to a top dental therapist who will take measurements of your gums to test whether you have any gum recession or gum disease.

If there are any signs of gum disease, I will typically recommend a dental deep cleaning or other periodontal treatment using a functional dentistry approach.

Dental deep cleanings, also known as scaling or planing treatments, have a scary reputation. Even the name might make you feel a little nervous. However, a deep cleaning is one of the best ways to manage gum disease, especially when it is detected early during a functional dental exam.

Before your procedure, I will be taking a whole health history to prepare for your deep cleaning. Some patients may need to take antibiotics prior to the procedure, and if that’s the case, we’ll help walk you through how to do that. The day of your procedure, a local anaesthetic will be used to numb the area where the scaling and root planing will take place. Usually, deep cleanings are done in four quadrants, and depending on the severity of your condition, not all quadrants may be done on the same day. Only the section being cleaned will be numbed for your comfort. Once you are numb, your dental therapist will begin to remove plaque and tartar on the surfaces of your teeth, in between them, and deep under your gum line with special tools, including an ultrasonic cleaner. After your procedure, I’ll follow up with you to check on your healing progress. For severe periodontitis, more than one deep cleaning may be needed to fully resolve the condition.