Dental Cleaning vs Deep Cleaning: Your Friendly Guide

Keeping your smile bright isn’t just about brushing every night. Two professional services, dental cleaning (the twice-a-year polish you already know) and deep cleaning (also called scaling & root planing)—play different roles in stopping cavities and gum disease. In this guide, we’ll unpack dental cleaning vs deep cleaning in plain language so you know the difference between cleaning your mouth needs and when to visit our dentist team in Pickering.

Dental Cleaning vs Deep Cleaning

Purpose: A routine dental cleaning is a preventive maintenance meant to keep healthy teeth and gums in good shape, whereas a deep cleaning (scaling and root planing) is a treatment used to eliminate active gum disease infection. In short, you book a standard cleaning to stay healthy, but you undergo a deep cleaning to restore gum health that’s already been compromised.

Area cleaned: During a dental cleaning, the hygienist removes plaque and tartar from the visible tooth surfaces and just along the gumline. A deep cleaning goes further, clearing deposits both above and below the gumline; it targets the root surfaces inside periodontal pockets where bacteria collect.

Time and number of visits: A standard cleaning usually takes 20 – 60 minutes and is finished in a single appointment. Deep cleaning is more time-intensive—typically 45 – 90 minutes for each quadrant—so the full mouth is often treated over two separate visits (or four shorter sessions).

Anesthetic required: Because a routine cleaning stays at the surface, it rarely needs local anesthesia. Deep cleaning involves working under the gums, so the dentist numbs the area to keep you comfortable while deeper scaling and root planing are performed.

Follow-up schedule: After a regular cleaning, you simply return every six months for the next check-up. Following a deep cleaning, you’re placed on a periodontal maintenance plan—usually every three months—until your gums heal and pocket depths stabilize.

Insurance coverage: Most dental insurance plans cover two standard cleanings per year at 100 percent as preventive care. Deep cleanings are generally covered at 50 – 80 percent (billed per quadrant) once periodontal disease is documented, leaving a co-pay that varies by plan.

What Exactly Happens During a Regular Dental Cleaning?

1. Plaque & tartar removal. A hygienist gently scrapes away soft plaque and hardened tartar sitting on tooth enamel and right at the gumline.
2. Polish. A gritty paste buffs stains so new plaque can’t stick easily.
3. Floss & rinse. Any loose debris is whisked away, leaving a fresh finish.
4. Optional fluoride. A quick gel strengthens enamel against future decay.

Because this is a surface-level procedure, you rarely need numbing and you’re out the door in under an hour. Maintaining these visits twice each year is key to preventing bigger problems later.

What Happens During a Deep Cleaning Appointment?

Deep cleaning treats gum disease that has already slipped under the gums. After numbing the area, we:

1. Scale below the gumline. Special tips remove tartar and bacteria hiding on root surfaces.
2. Plane the roots. We smooth the roots so gums can reattach tightly, blocking future germ buildup.
3. Work in sections. Because it’s detailed, we often treat one side of the mouth at a time—so you may have two appointments.

Why Deep Cleaning Is Sometimes Needed

• Pocket depth > 4 mm. When a probe shows deep spaces between tooth and gum, bacteria have already moved in.
• Bleeding, swelling, bad breath. Classic infection signs mean surface polishing alone won’t fix the issue.
• Loose teeth or visible root decay. The infection starts eating bone; a deep cleaning stops the damage.
• Almost half of adults over 30 show some stage of periodontal disease, so early treatment matters.
• Daily plaque hardens fast. In just 48 hours sticky film can calcify into tartar that your toothbrush can’t remove.

If we spot these red flags during your exam, scaling & root planing is the gold-standard first step to save your gums.

Step-by-Step Look Inside Each Appointment

During a Regular Cleaning

• Short check-up and X-rays (if due).
• Gentle scaling with hand or ultrasonic tools.
• Polishing and flossing.
• Fluoride varnish if requested.You can eat as soon as you leave—no special recovery is needed.

During a Deep Cleaning

• Local anesthetic keeps you comfortable.
• Precise scaling under the gums targeting hidden tartar.
• Root planing until the surface feels glass-smooth.
• Possible antimicrobial rinse or localized antibiotic gel.
• Repeat on the other side of the mouth next visit.Expect mild tenderness once the freezing fades; most patients manage with ibuprofen and a soft diet for a day.

Benefits You’ll Notice

Why Keep Up with Regular Dental Cleaning?

• Removes tartar your brush misses.
• Keeps breath fresh and stains at bay.
• Lets us catch cavities or root decay early.
• Costs less and takes less time than treating disease later.

Why Deep Cleaning Can Be a Need

• Stops gum disease from advancing—saving bone and teeth.
• Shrinks pockets so gums tighten and bleeding stops.
• Reduces chronic bad breath.
• Protects whole-body health; untreated gum infection links to heart disease and diabetes.

Caring for Your Dental Care After Any Cleaning

• Brush twice daily with fluoride toothpaste.
• Floss or use interdental brushes every night to keep bacteria from repopulating pockets.
• Swish an antibacterial rinse if your hygienist recommends it.
• Stick to your recall schedule—six months for healthy gums and three months for periodontal maintenance.
• Eat a balanced diet and drink plenty of water; sugary snacks feed plaque.
• Quit smoking—tobacco triples gum-disease risk.