Introduction
Dental hygiene isn’t just about having an aesthetic smile; it’s essential for chewing food, speech articulation, facial structure, and oral cavity protection.
Deep cleaning is a common practice that is advised to treat various gum diseases and prevent dental complications. However, it has its own disadvantages. It involves cleaning the teeth below the gum line.
This blog post will explain the disadvantages of deep cleaning, helping you make informed decisions regarding your dental care.
What is deep cleaning?
Deep cleaning is a combination of two procedures:
- Scaling is done to remove plaque (bacterial biofilm) and calculus (hard minerals) from the surface of the teeth.
- Root planing helps to clean the affected hard layers of teeth roots below the gum lines. This makes it feasible for gums to reattach to the teeth.
Deep root cleaning is indicated in those suffering from gum diseases, such as gingivitis and periodontitis, where plaque, tartar, or debris have accumulated in the gap between the gums and teeth.
This thorough cleaning aims to halt gum disease progression, thus preventing tooth loss and improving oral health.
What are the disadvantages of teeth deep cleaning?
Every surgical procedure has its own advantages and disadvantages. You should be aware of both to make an informed decision. Some of the risks involved in this procedure are listed below.
Potential Damage to Enamel
One significant concern with deep cleaning is the potential for enamel damage. Enamel is the thin, protective outer layer of the teeth that also gives them a bright shine. While deep cleaning removes tartar and plaque, it can sometimes be abrasive, inadvertently affecting the enamel.
Sensitivity Issues
Teeth sensitivity and pain are the most common drawbacks associated with deep teeth cleaning. You can experience sensitivity to hot, cold, sweet, and sour liquids or solids because deep cleaning can expose the dentin layer of teeth under the enamel, which contains tiny nerve endings.
Sensitivity is usually a temporary issue lasting a few days to a few weeks, but it could become permanent. Since it can affect daily activities, discussing the matter with your dentist before treatment is necessary.
Faulty Gum and Teeth Reattachment
Healthy gums are firmly adherent to the teeth. Plaque and tartar can cause inflammation and infection of the gum and teeth, thus detaching them apart. To achieve this attachment, deep cleaning is indicated to remove the plaque and tartar, but this might not be possible in every case. This can cause a lifelong nuisance, and you might regret your decision.
Source of Infection
Overexposure of the cementoenamel junction between the teeth and gum can be a potential site of infection, especially if you are in an immunocompromised state or the instruments are not properly cleaned. Hence, it is good to be cautious about it.
Receding Gums
If you find your teeth to be a bit longer after the procedure and you are experiencing teeth sensitivity, this is probably due to receding gums. If gums do not reattach to the enamel of teeth, they draw back, exposing the roots of teeth. This can cause your teeth to be sensitive and make them look aesthetically unpleasant.
Discomfortable Procedure
Although local anesthesia is used to numb the operating area, in some people, there might be anesthesia resistance or any other etiology, thus causing ineffective or no anesthesia at all, which makes this procedure very uncomfortable and painful. [S]
There are multiple anesthetic drug options nowadays; if one doesn’t work, the other one might work well for you.
Multiple Appointments
Complete resolution of the disease may require multiple visits to the dentist.
Treatment Cost
Multiple dental clinic visits and treatment costs might be quite expensive compared to conventional teeth cleaning. This might vary depending on the severity of the disease and the country.
Additional Treatments
In some cases, deep root cleaning might not be the complete solution, and another treatment modality might be needed.
Unsatisfactory Results
In some cases, the treatment did not provide the expected results. This could be due to the severity of the disease, the extent of complications, or the expertise of the dental surgeon.
There might be a few changes in the appearance of the gums and teeth, but usually, these are temporary and go away quickly.
Can teeth become loose after deep cleaning?
Yes, you might feel teeth loosening after deep cleaning. It happens when all the debris is removed under the gumline, and the extra support has vanished, resulting in loose teeth. As time passes, teeth can regain their support when the gums reattach.
A thorough assessment, along with the OPG X-ray, might be needed to determine whether the teeth will fall or not.
Conclusion
While deep root cleaning is an essential procedure to treat gum diseases, it is important to consider its disadvantages. Usually, these issues are temporary and not to worry about. Before getting the treatment, you should discuss thoroughly all the pros and cons so that you might make an informed decision.
Visit our blog section to read more.
