How can my Winter Park Dentist Help Me Avoid More Deep Cleanings?
How can my Winter Park dentist help me avoid more deep cleanings?
Deep cleanings usually refer to a procedure called “Scaling and Root Planing," which nobody enjoys. As it can be uncomfortable and costly for the patient. If you've had a deep cleaning before, you definitely want to avoid having them performed again. Often, a patient's insufficient oral hygiene habits and routine have led to needing a deep cleaning. Improvement of the oral hygiene regimen is required to help keep everything healthy going forward.
However, consistent follow-ups with your Winter Park dentist are an equally crucial step to avoid future scaling and root planning procedures. Typically, following a deep cleaning, your dentist will recommend starting a 3-month (4 times a year) cleaning schedule for you to maintain a healthy mouth.
What oral hygiene habits do I need to prevent future deep cleanings?
Immediately following a deep cleaning is a great time to re-assess and start new healthy habits for your daily oral care routines. From brushing and flossing to mouth rinse – even if you are already doing all these things, it's best to consider if there are minor improvements you should make. For example:
Are you brushing for 2 minutes, 2-3 times a day? Additionally, are you reaching all surfaces of your mouth and near the gumline? Ask your hygienist and dentist if specific areas accumulate more plaque so you can spend more attention daily in that area.
Would switching to an electric or manual toothbrush be better for you? Some patients benefit from the extra cycles provided by an electric toothbrush. Whereas others who have used an electric toothbrush for a while may brush on "autopilot" without correctly positioning the toothbrush to clean all areas – in these situations, we often recommend switching back to a manual toothbrush temporarily so you can feel and be more mindful about each part of your mouth that you are brushing.
Are you using traditional floss? Or some alternative methods like floss picks? Generally, our Winter Park dentist recommends using conventional floss so that it wraps around the tooth for a better clean. Additional methods like inter-proximal brushes or water flossers are a great addition – but should be done "in addition to" flossing, not a replacement.
Should you start using or switch to a specific mouth rinse? Typically, following a deep cleaning, you will be prescribed chlorhexidine as an antiseptic rinse. While this is an often recommended step, we do not encourage long-term use – as it will stain your teeth after several weeks. This staining is easily removed with cleaning, but we still recommend other mouth rinses to promote gum health. Currently, we are seeing patients have great results with daily use of Listerine’s Gum Therapy mouth rinse.
How often should I visit my dentist after deep cleanings?
Following a typical “Scaling and Root Planing” procedure, you are most commonly placed on a 3-month schedule for cleanings. This frequency helps keep plaque-forming bacteria out of the teeth and gumline, which patients are more susceptible to periodontal disease.
This 3-month schedule for cleanings is also typically a "periodontal maintenance" procedure instead of a traditional "prophylaxis" cleaning. A periodontal maintenance procedure checks the health of your gums. It provides cleaning slightly below the gumline using additional instruments and techniques that regular prophylaxis does not. Because of this added care, a periodontal maintenance procedure typically has a small copay and a longer appointment time.
Depending on your specific recovery and gum health, the dentist may also recommend an alternative between prophylaxis or periodontal maintenance every visit. This would lead to a reduced overall cost for the patient and slightly faster appointment times. An annual schedule following scaling and root planning could look like this:
Month “0” - Scaling and Root Planing procedure (performed once for each quadrant of the mouth that is needed)
Month 3 – Prophylaxis (standard cleaning) with a check on gum health
Month 6 – Periodontal maintenance with a check on gum health and preventative x-rays as needed
Month 9 – Prophylaxis (routine cleaning) with a check on gum health
Month 12 - Periodontal maintenance with a check on gum health and preventative x-rays as needed
Of course, your local Winter Park dentist may recommend a slightly different schedule for your situation. In some cases, we may recommend Periodontal maintenance performed at each visit. For some, only 3 times a year (every 4 months) is sufficient. Or, in some cases, we may recommend alternating offices between a periodontal specialist (periodontist) to perform the periodontal maintenance visit and then a regular prophylaxis at the general dentist.
Maintaining your gum health following deep cleanings
As you can see, several considerations influence your dental routine after a deep cleaning. However, don't be intimidated. The most important thing is to schedule a visit with your local dentist following the deep cleaning.
We find that patients who have a deep cleaning and ignore routine dental visits afterward need the same procedure done twice. Having a deep cleaning performed is an investment of your time and money and a significant step in improving your oral health. Therefore, we strongly recommend improving your oral care routine and regular visits with your dentist to keep your teeth in their best shape.