At Gainesville Family Dentistry we provide non-surgical peridontal therapy.

Scaling and Root Planning

Scaling and Root Planning involves cleaning below the gum line and removing the tartar, debri and bacteria from the root surfaces. The area of the mouth to be worked in is anesthetized (numbed) and an ultrasonic instrument is used to remove the tartar from the teeth. Once the scaling is done, the root surfaces which are still rough are root planed (made smooth) with hand instruments. It is different than a regular cleaning or prophy which involves removing the plaque (sticky film) and tartar from above the gumline.

Scaling and Root Planning is done in patients who have periodontal disease (gum disease) with gum pockets greater than 3mm. Once the scaling and root planning removes the tartar from the root surfaces, the tissues around shrink and reattach to the root thus reducing the pocket around the tooth. It might involve working on half your mouth at one time. After the scaling is done, the patient is brought back in four to six weeks for reevaluation and measurement of the pockets.

After this initial therapy, patients need to be on a three to four month maintenance schedule to help maintain the optimal health of the gums.

In some cases, Scaling and Root Planning alone may not be enough to control the gum disease and the patient may be referred to a Periodontist for evaluation and gum surgery.


Please click on any of the services to the right to learn more about them.