In order to treat your periodontal disease we needed to perform scaling and root planing to clean under your gums.

 

The amount of pain and swelling you feel after scaling and root planing depends on the number of teeth involved and the depth of pockets around these teeth. More teeth and deeper pockets will usually result in more pain and swelling. Pain is usually worst in the first 3 days and should improve by 10 to 14 days. Swelling is usually greatest in the first 5 days and should start to decrease by the 7 days. If pain or swelling increases significantly a few days (3 to 7 days) after surgery, please call for instructions.

 

You will probably have a little bit of bleeding and a pink color to your saliva for the first day or two after surgery. Holding small amounts of ice water in your mouth will usually stop any slight oozing. However, if there is excessive bleeding the day of or continual bleeding the day after scaling and root planing, please call for instructions.

 

The periodontal tissues need to heal before we evaluate the results. After 4 to 6 weeks we will re-probe your mouth to make sure we achieved the result we desired. If areas do not improve we may suggest a surgical approach to reduce the pocket depths.

 

After you have completed scaling and root planing do not just assume you have been cured. Periodontitis is a complex disease that results from your body’s reaction to bacteria. These bacteria are always present in your mouth and cannot be eliminated, only reduced. This is why we ask for you to come back every three months for periodontal maintenance. We are trying to mechanically keep the bacteria from spreading down your roots again. If you miss these additional appointments these bacteria may re-grow and re-infect your gums.