When is root planing recommended?
If you have gum disease, the tartar that is building up above the gum line is able to slowly move down past the gum line, causing your gum to pull away from your tooth and not attach correctly. A routine professional clean removes plaque and tartar from your teeth, but root planing is needed to reach below the gumline. This conservative procedure plays a critical role in treating periodontal disease.
You may need more than one appointment to complete the treatment. The procedure isn’t painful, but we may use a local anaesthetic to minimise discomfort.
After your treatment
At your follow-up appointment, we will check the healing of your gums and the status of the periodontal pockets. If your gum tissue has responded well and remains stable, you may not need any further treatment. More advanced periodontal conditions may require surgical interventions by a specialist periodontist after root planing treatment, to stop the progression of bone loss. However, your root planing treatment often lessens the amount of surgery needed.
