Deep cleaning vs regular cleaning! It sounds like a movie title doesn’t it? It does, but the bad news is that it is not going to be as exciting as a movie. These are both dental procedures that your dentist or dental hygienist would do to achieve cleaner teeth and as a prevention method for the advancement of gum disease.
Now, you might be thinking to yourself “aren’t these two the same?”. Not exactly. We are here with this article to provide you with the necessary information and tell you the difference between deep teeth cleaning vs regular teeth cleaning. So stick around.
How can I know what type of cleaning I need?
Sometimes it is not easy to say what type of cleaning you need. That is your dentist’s job. They can determine the kind of dental cleaning you need. Based on your oral exam and whether you have periodontal disease or any signs, your dentist will decide on the type of dental cleaning.
Signs you need deep cleaning, not regular cleaning
When it comes to regular cleaning, it works on the part of your teeth above your gum line. You can even see the tartar buildup between your teeth and gums if you haven’t had a regular cleaning for a long time.
So, what are the signs that show you need a deep cleaning? The first one would be the depth of your gum pockets. Your dentist or dental hygienist will use a periodontal probe to determine the depth of your gum pockets. Other than that, regular teeth cleaning would be most effective for a patient with healthy gums.
The next one would be the condition of your gums in general. Healthy gum is firm and looks pink. If there is any inflammation and redness you most probably need to go for a deep cleaning rather than a regular one. This brings us to bleeding especially when brushing or flossing.
Last but not least, is if your gums bleed. Yes, bleeding is never good and one of the tell-tale signs that it is time for you to go for deep cleaning could be this. Whether your gums bleed by themselves or when you brush or floss you have to pay attention to it.
So, with all this said, always check your gums and make sure you are brushing your teeth properly. Try not to miss your dental appointments and hopefully you won’t have any serious dental issues. But we have gathered some other useful information when it comes to deep cleaning vs regular cleaning.
At what point are they separated?
You might be confused a little bit about deep cleaning vs regular cleaning. Let’s put it this way, deep teeth cleaning goes deeper than regular cleaning. But what do we mean by deeper?
For deep cleaning, what is important are the gum pockets. During the procedure of deep teeth cleaning not only does your dentist clean the tartar buildup on the surface of your teeth but also under your gumline and the harmful bacteria residing in your gum pockets that could lead to periodontal disease.
Differences between dentist deep cleaning vs regular cleaning
Deep cleaning vs regular cleaning! So what is the difference? There are a few things to talk about. First off regular cleaning takes less time to be done. Regular cleaning takes about 30 to 60 minutes and your dentist will be finished with the procedure in one appointment. On the contrary deep cleaning takes about 60 to 90 minutes and you will have to go for two appointments.
Next is the procedure itself, regular cleaning deals with tartar buildup above the gum line and doesn’t go deep into the gum pockets. As for deep teeth cleaning you might be dealing with heavy tartar buildup both above and below the gum line.
A dental X-ray is usually not needed for regular cleaning, but for further investigation of your teeth and checking if there are any cavities or bone loss, especially in the jaw bone. Bone levels can only be checked with an X-ray, and the dentist might ask for one for a deep cleaning rather than a regular cleaning.
Periodontal maintenance vs scaling and root planing
To put it simply, periodontal maintenance is the same as scaling and root planing, and both of these are deep teeth cleaning. So both of these procedures focus on the buildup of plaque not just on your teeth’ surface but also under your gumline as well.
Efficacy comparison of deep cleaning and regular cleaning
Another important aspect of getting deep dental cleaning vs regular cleaning would be which one is more efficient. Well, both are beneficial and efficient but it depends on why you are getting each procedure.
Generally, speaking dentists recommended getting your teeth regularly cleaned every six months. Regular teeth cleaning will prevent your teeth from developing cavities and decay. Regular teeth cleaning would mainly focus on the teeth’ surface and above the gum line.
On the other hand, if your dentist recommends a deep cleaning you better take it seriously. Deep teeth cleaning not only focuses on your teeth’ surface but also the roots’ surface as well. Root planing which happens after scaling will clean out all the buildup of bacteria in the gum pockets. This will help prevent periodontal diseases from developing and help treat your gums as well.
| Efficacy variation | Deep cleaning | Regular cleaning |
| Cleans gum pockets |
✓ |
✕ |
| Helps with bad breath | ✓ | ✓ |
| Gum disease treatment | ✓ | ✕ |
| Whiter teeth | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cause teeth sensitivity | ✓ | ✓ |
| Painful procedure | ✓ | ✕ |
Deep cleaning pros and cons
Let’s talk about the advantages of deep cleaning. Deep cleaning gets rid of pockets of bacteria in your gum line. This will help with bad breath. Not only that but it will help the roots of your teeth to be healthier as well. When there are fewer bacteria in your gum pockets the risk of infection becomes less. That means healthier gums and no more periodontal disease.
Now, let’s see what the disadvantages of deep cleaning are. Most of them are temporary and will only last a week or so. There can be a permanent con to deep cleaning which is safe to say it is a rare one, so no need to worry!
After your deep cleaning procedure, you will experience teeth sensitivity. Due to the scaling and probing you might experience some pain and discomfort, which if necessary, you can take an over-the-counter painkiller for it. Right after deep cleaning, you will have a bit of gum recession. This happens because the dentist pushes your gums back to clean your teeth roots. As we said this is temporary and after 1 to 2 weeks your gums will go back to their normal place. The one rare con of deep cleaning is nerve damage. This is more likely in people with underlying diseases such as autoimmune.
Regular cleaning pros and cons
Regular teeth cleaning has its benefits as well. Mainly it helps with your teeth’ color because your dental hygienist would remove stains and plaque buildup from the surface of your teeth. This also helps refresh your breath. Regular cleaning also gives your dentist to examine your oral health and check for any issues. Oral health issues such as gum disease or worse mouth cancer. Early detection can help with treatment and prevention of advancement of them. This brings us to saving money and time. Dealing with these issues during regular teeth cleaning and preventing them from advancing would end up being cheaper and less painful.
There are no specific and long-term disadvantages to regular cleaning. There is only the matter of having teeth sensitivity for almost a week after your regular teeth cleaning. During that time, you can use toothpaste for sensitive teeth to help ease the discomfort.
When to do deep cleaning vs regular cleaning
As a general rule of thumb for both of these procedures, dentists recommend getting them done every six months or two times per year. Depending on the status of your teeth and oral health, your dentist might tell you to go in for regular cleaning more often. Since deep cleaning treatment is more thorough, it won’t be done more than two times a year maybe only in rare cases.
People with diseases affected by oral health, such as diabetes or heart disease might need to have more teeth cleaning on a regular basis.
Regular price vs deep cleaning price
Regular teeth cleaning usually would cost less than deep teeth cleaning. A regular cleaning involves fewer steps and could be finished in 30 to 45 minutes. Regular teeth cleaning will take one appointment to finish unlike deep teeth cleaning. Deep teeth cleaning takes two appointments and each will be 60 to 90 minutes. All of this will add to the total price. But remember in most places up to two appointments in a year are 100% covered by insurance. If you require more appointments you should check with your health insurance company.
- Regular teeth cleaning: €80 to €120
- Deep teeth cleaning per quadrant: €280 to €450 / whole mouth: €1120 to €1800
Deep cleaning vs regular cleaning, there is no competition here. Both of these procedures are useful and helpful to your overall oral health. So, keep up with your routine teeth cleanings and if your dentist suggests deep teeth cleaning, there is no need to worry. The sooner you take care of your oral health the better.
What are you waiting for then? Contact us and book your free consultation. We at Dentfix provide you with the best dental care possible.
