Root planing and curettage

What is it?

Root planing is used to clean the parts of teeth, which are below the gum-line and cannot be reached with a toothbrush. This can result in gum disease and gum 'pockets' can start to develop around the teeth. This means that the bone supporting the teeth can become lost.

Root planing is used to clean out the gum 'pockets' and remove plaque and tartar from the tooth roots.

What does this treatment involve?

• This treatment is often performed under a local anaesthetic and may require you to make more than one visit, depending on whether your mouth is treated in sections
• There are two different tools that are used for Root planing. The hand scaler comes in various sizes and shapes to enable your dentist to reach all parts of the tooth and to ensure that the tooth and its root are completely clean. The electric scaler is then used, which vibrates with water. The water circulates around the mouth to thoroughly clean out the mouth, which is then removed using suction
• After this treatment you will need to be careful when cleaning the teeth above the gum-line, as the Root planing should cause the gum pocket to shrink, resulting with the gum sitting closer to the tooth
• This treatment is generally repeated on a regular basis

What are the benefits?

• Root planing is beneficial, as it stops gum disease from getting worse and can prevent tooth loss
• Although this treatment can help you to keep your mouth clean and healthy at home, you should not solely rely on this treatment for keeping your mouth healthy. However, it is important that you maintain a healthy mouth