Can Teeth Fall Out After Deep Teeth Cleaning?
Your dentist will recommend deep teeth cleaning, also called dental scaling and root planing, if you have gum disease from plaque built up in the pockets between your teeth and gums, and in a bad case, down to the teeth roots. If left untreated, this gum disease will cause serious infections and tooth loss.
Deep cleaning involves removing the damaging plaque from the teeth below the gumline to remove the source of the infection. The procedure is more involved than a regular teeth cleaning, where the plaque is removed from your crowns above the gumline.
What is Involved in the Process of Deep Teeth Cleaning?
Deep cleaning involves the following steps:
* Initial diagnosis- Before you have a deep teeth cleaning, your dentist will have identified gum disease by measuring the sagging gap between your teeth and gums using a periodontal probe. If the gap is greater than 3mm this is a sign of gum disease. Your dentist will look for bleeding gums, if they are swollen or inflamed, or if any teeth are loose.
The three levels of gum disease are gingivitis, periodontitis, and advanced periodontitis. Gingivitis can usually be treated and reversed without a deep clean, but periodontitis and advanced periodontitis will both require deep teeth cleaning. X-rays will determine if there is any bone loss.
* Your First Deep Teeth Cleaning Appointment- Deep teeth cleaning usually takes two appointments. Your dentist will use a local anesthetic to numb and treat one side of your mouth at each appointment. Numbing your entire mouth would make it difficult to talk, eat, or drink. An anesthetic will make sure you do not feel any discomfort during the treatment. A small, hand-held dental tool is used to scrape the plaque from below your gumline. Your dentist might use a vibrating ultrasonic to dislodge stubborn plaque and tartar.
* Your Second Deep Cleaning Appointment- At your second appointment, your dentist will treat the other side of your mouth as they did during your previous appointment. They will also review the completed side to see how it is feeling and recovering from your deep clean.
Each appointment will take a minimum of one hour and could take up to four hours. If you have an advanced infection, you may also need additional treatment like an antibiotic gel placed directly into the inflamed pockets. You might also be given an antibiotic or a strong mouthwash to help treat the infection.
* Your follow-up deep cleaning appointment- When you have completed both sides of your deep cleaning, you will be asked to return in several weeks for a review.
During this checkup, your dentist will again measure the size of the pockets to see if they have reduced and are back to normal.
Can Teeth Fall Out after Deep Cleaning?
It is highly unlikely your teeth will fall out after having a deep cleaning. You might find that your teeth feel looser after your treatment. This is actually because removing the plaque from the pockets between the gums and teeth also creates a gap, which may cause the teeth to feel loose. With healing, the gums will reattach to the teeth, making your teeth feel secure.