The frequency of professional dental cleaning should be decided based on your individual periodontal risk, not on a universal default of six months or once a year that is applied to every patient regardless of their gum health status. For patients with healthy gums, a low rate of plaque and calculus accumulation, and consistently effective home oral hygiene, a cleaning interval of six to twelve months is typically sufficient to maintain periodontal health. For patients who have been treated for periodontitis, the research evidence consistently shows that three to four monthly professional cleaning and review significantly reduces the risk of disease recurrence compared with annual or biannual intervals. Patients who accumulate calculus rapidly, who have deep residual pockets, who are diabetic or on medications that affect gum health, or who have a history of advanced periodontitis are at higher periodontal risk and benefit from more frequent professional care. At Dentacure, Kasturi Nagar, Bengaluru, I assess your current periodontal status at each visit and recommend the cleaning interval that is clinically appropriate for your specific risk profile, which may change over time as your gum health improves or as your circumstances change.

Periodontal treatment is matched to the stage and severity of gum disease present and ranges from non-surgical professional cleaning through to surgical periodontal management for advanced cases, followed in all cases by a structured long-term maintenance programme. Scaling removes plaque and calculus from all tooth surfaces, including below the gum margin. Root planing extends this to the root surfaces within the pockets of periodontitis, smoothing and cleaning the root to remove embedded bacterial deposits and promote reattachment of the gum tissue. Dr. Prerana G.K., MDS Periodontology with Distinction, Consultant Periodontist and Implantologist at Dentacure Multispeciality Dental Clinic and Implant Centre, Kasturi Nagar, Bengaluru, provides the full range of periodontal treatments personalised to each patient's disease stage and clinical profile. Periodontal flap surgery is indicated in advanced periodontitis where pocket depths and bone loss cannot be adequately addressed by non-surgical means alone: the gum tissue is carefully reflected under local anaesthesia to allow direct access to deep root surfaces and underlying bone, where thorough cleaning and, where appropriate, bone regenerative procedures are performed. Periodontal maintenance therapy following active treatment, with professional review and cleaning at intervals determined by the patient's disease history and home care, is the structured programme that sustains the results of treatment and prevents recurrence. Periodontal disease is a chronic condition managed over time, and the quality of long-term maintenance determines long-term outcomes.

A routine scale and polish cleans the visible surfaces of the teeth and removes plaque, calculus, and stain from above and just below the gum margin. It is the professional cleaning performed for patients with healthy gums or mild gingivitis who do not have active periodontitis with pockets. It is an essential part of preventive care and gum health maintenance. Scaling and root planing is a different and more involved procedure, performed for patients who have been diagnosed with periodontitis. In periodontitis, bacteria colonise the pockets that form between the tooth root and the gum below the visible gum line, where they are inaccessible to routine brushing and to standard scaling. Scaling and root planing extends the cleaning to the root surfaces within these pockets, carefully removing calculus and bacterial deposits from the root surface itself, and smoothing the root to make it less favourable for bacterial re-attachment and to encourage the gum tissue to reattach. It is performed under local anaesthesia for patient comfort, usually in sections of the mouth at each visit. The procedure most patients call a deep cleaning is scaling and root planing, and it is the first line of treatment for periodontitis, with significant evidence supporting its effectiveness when followed by appropriate maintenance.

Bleeding gums when you brush is one of the most common symptoms of gingivitis, the earliest stage of gum disease. It occurs because plaque that has accumulated at and just below the gum margin drives an inflammatory response in the gum tissue, making the blood vessels more fragile and the tissue more prone to bleeding on contact. The important thing to understand is that bleeding gums are not normal, even though they are very common. Healthy gums do not bleed on routine brushing. The fact that gums bleed may seem minor, particularly when it is painless, but it is a clinical signal that there is active inflammation at the gum margin that needs professional assessment. In many cases, thorough professional scaling and improved home oral hygiene resolve gingivitis completely, and the bleeding stops. If bleeding has been present for more than two weeks, or is associated with gum recession, looseness of teeth, or persistent bad breath, a periodontal assessment rather than a routine cleaning is what is needed. At Dentacure, Kasturi Nagar, Bengaluru, the assessment I perform will tell you exactly which stage of gum disease is present and what treatment is needed to resolve it.