Deep cleaning vs. regular cleaning

It depends on whether periodontitis is present, and that is established by pocket charting around every tooth plus radiographs showing bone levels, not by how the gums look or feel. If you have been told you need whole-mouth deep cleaning, ask to see the chart and have the numbers explained. If the pockets are shallow and there is no radiographic bone loss, a routine cleaning is the appropriate treatment and it is fair to say so.

Because it is a different, longer procedure billed per quadrant, not as a single item, usually carried out under local anesthetic and staged across appointments. A full-mouth course is therefore assessed as four items. Insurers also treat it differently, commonly requiring documented pocket depths and bone loss before funding it, which is another reason the diagnosis needs to be recorded instead of asserted.

It is normally carried out under local anesthetic, so the treatment itself should not be painful. Afterwards, tenderness in the gums and sensitivity of the teeth to cold are common for a period, as inflamed tissue shrinks and root surfaces become more exposed. Desensitizing toothpaste helps. Pain that is severe or increasing instead of settling should be reported, not tolerated.

Ideally not a repeat full course, if the disease stabilizes. What you will need indefinitely is periodontal maintenance at a shorter interval than standard recall, because periodontitis is managed instead of cured and it recurs if maintenance lapses. Sites that did not respond at reassessment may need further treatment or surgical access. The reassessment numbers are what tell you which category you are in.

Because the swelling has resolved and the gum is now sitting at its true level instead of the inflamed one. The recession was already there, masked by the swelling. Spaces between teeth may become more visible for the same reason. It is a predictable consequence of successful treatment, not a complication, and it should be explained before treatment so it is not a shock afterwards.

In many jurisdictions, hygienists perform scaling and root planing where permitted to administer the necessary local anesthetic, working from a diagnosis and treatment plan established by a dentist or periodontist. Diagnosis and any surgical follow-up remain with the dentist or specialist regardless of who performs the cleaning itself.

It depends on the plan: deep cleaning is often categorized as a basic or major service with its own waiting period, separate from routine preventive cleanings which frequently have little or no wait. Check your specific plan's category and waiting period for periodontal therapy instead of assuming it follows the same rule as a routine cleaning.

Periodontal maintenance visits are often somewhat longer than a routine cleaning, since they involve rechecking pocket depths at multiple sites in addition to cleaning, but the exact time varies by how extensive your disease history is and how many sites need close attention.

Yes: gingivitis is reversible inflammation confined to the gum, but if it progresses untreated it can advance to periodontitis, where bone and attachment loss occurs and is not reversible. This is exactly why the distinction between the two conditions, established by charting, matters for choosing the right treatment early.

Yes, significantly: smoking is one of the strongest risk factors for both the progression of periodontal disease and how well it responds to treatment, including scaling and root planing. This is typically discussed directly as part of a realistic prognosis for treatment.

Reduced pocket depths, reduced bleeding on probing, and improved tissue tone are the typical markers of a positive response. Ask to see your reassessment chart compared side by side with the original numbers, instead of accepting a general verbal assessment that treatment 'went well.'

For most healthy mouths, a properly performed routine cleaning at the right interval is adequate. It becomes inadequate only when disease is actually present and undiagnosed, which is exactly why periodic charting, not just visual inspection, matters even when nothing seems obviously wrong.