Scaling and Root Planing or “deep cleaning” is non-surgical treatment of periodontal disease and often is the first step of treatment.

This treatment typically is performed over two to four visits. The patient is numbed in the areas of treatment and ultrasonic and hand instruments are used to clean the deposits from beneath the gum. The goals of the treatment are to reduce pocket depths and reduce the types of bacteria that are seen in active disease. Depending on your individual level of infection, this may be all the treatment you need before putting you on a specific maintenance (or cleaning) schedule. In patients with more advanced disease, a surgical phase will be needed to reduce pocket depths and to address the damage to the underlying bone cause by the infection.