Signs You Need a Deep Cleaning (Scaling and Root Planing)

You go in for your regular check-up, and the hygienist tells you that a regular cleaning won't be enough this time. You need a 'deep cleaning.' Is this just an upsell?

No. A deep cleaning, medically known as **Scaling and Root Planing (SRP)**, is a specific therapy for treating periodontal disease. It is prescribed when infection has moved below the gumline.

A **routine cleaning** (prophylaxis) is preventative. It removes plaque and tartar from *above* the gumline on healthy gums.

A **deep cleaning** is therapeutic. It removes bacteria and tartar from *below* the gumline on infected gums and smooths the root surface so the gums can reattach.

Your dentist measures the gap between your tooth and gum. In a healthy mouth, this pocket is 1-3mm deep. If you have pockets of 4mm or deeper, your toothbrush and floss cannot reach the bottom to clean them. Bacteria thrive there, eating away at the bone. Only professional instruments can clean these deep pockets.

If your X-rays show that the bone level around your teeth is shrinking, it means the infection is active and destroying your foundation. A deep cleaning is the first step to stopping this bone loss.

If your gums bleed easily when probed and there is visible, hardened tartar (calculus) under the gumline, a standard cleaning will just polish the surface while leaving the active infection underneath untouched.