Full mouth debridement cleanings are the most heavy-duty of all teeth cleanings, designed to clean teeth with copious amounts of plaque and tartar.
A full mouth debridement is a type of deep dental cleaning used to remove tartar and plaque in all areas of the mouth. While this procedure is aimed at individuals who have not visited the dentist in several years, and/or struggle to maintain an oral care routine (and more likely to have a fair amount of plaque built-up on the gums, teeth and in between teeth), not everyone who has not visited the dentist in a while receives a full mouth debridement.
The first thing we do is perform an oral examination to determine what type of cleaning is the best option for you. After your initial oral exam, we will decide whether a routine prophylaxis teeth cleaning is enough or if a full mouth debridement is needed before the prophylaxis cleaning.
During a full mouth debridement, plaque is first removed with a scaler tool by a process called Scaling. Scaling removes plaque and tartar from the surface of the teeth, as well as from exposed tooth roots, and gum pockets below the gum line, which form as a result of gum disease. This procedure removes bacteria and helps reduce gum inflammation.
Teeth roots are then smoothed in a process called Root Planing, to prevent future bacterial accumulation, by helping the gums reattach to teeth and eliminate gum pockets. Because tartar is hardened plaque and it has been in place for awhile, a special electric tool is usually required to loosen and remove tartar from the teeth. Once this is complete, a regular prophylaxis cleaning will be performed.