A professional dental cleaning at least twice a year can improve your oral health, reports the Academy of General Dentistry (AGD), an organization of general dentists dedicated to continuing dental education. The AGD strongly recommends that a dentist or hygienist perform a dental cleaning every six months. Deep dental cleaning is also called periodontal scaling and root planning, or SRP.
It’s similar to how a hygienist typically cleans your teeth but focuses on the outer surface of the roots and below your gum line. This special cleaning is needed when tartar buildup has caused infection of the gums.
The Dental Care Cost Estimator provides an estimate and does not guarantee the exact fees for dental procedures, what dental benefits your plan will cover, or your out-of-pocket costs. Estimates should not be construed as financial or medical advice. Scaling and root planing : While a regular dental cleaning is for the visible portion of teeth, scaling and root planing is a special cleaning that removes plaque and tartar (also known as calculus) from under the gumline (in periodontal pockets) and smoothes the root surfaces to promote healing. A scaling procedure is the only way to remove calculus from this area.