Curettage

Dental curettage is applied primarily to clean sensitive areas such as gums from inflamed or infected tissues using special equipment. The curettage procedure, which plays a major role in the treatment of gum diseases, ensures the cleaning of bacterial plaque, tartar, and other infected tissues accumulated in the pockets located under the gums. In this way, the gums become healthy, and the bone structure responsible for supporting the teeth is preserved. Specialist Dentist Emin Serhat Arıkan, serving patients in Adana, explained for you what Curettage is and why it is done.

What Is Dental Curettage?

Dental curettage is a surgical treatment procedure that falls within the specialty of the periodontology branch and is used in the treatment of gum diseases. The curettage procedure involves cleaning tartar, inflamed tissue, and bacterial plaques in deep pockets occurring in soft tissues with special equipment in advanced levels of gum diseases.

Pockets occur after the spaces called pockets around the teeth deepen. These areas cannot be cleaned by dental floss or tooth brushing. Bacteria accumulated in this region cause inflammation of the gums and even the loss of bone tissues. Over time, teeth start to wobble and are even lost. Dental curettage ensures this infection is cleaned from the root. It aims for the gums to tightly surround the tooth surface again and become healthy again.

Why Is Dental Curettage Done?

Dental curettage is preferred in patients where gum diseases have progressed and reached the level of periodontitis. Periodontitis causes negativities such as redness, bleeding, swelling, and bad breath in the gums. If we need to list the purposes of the curettage procedure:

• Stopping the infection
• Eliminating inflammation occurring in the gums
• Preventing tooth losses
• And dental curettage is applied to improve the patient's oral health.

How Is Gum Curettage Done?

Gum curettage is a treatment that must be applied by a specialist dentist or periodontologist in a professional dental clinic. The curettage procedure is mostly applied while the patient is under the influence of local anesthesia. Therefore, the patient does not experience any pain complaints during the treatment. Gum curettage is applied as follows:

Examination and Diagnosis

First, the patient is subjected to a comprehensive evaluation by the dentist. The depth of the periodontal pockets is measured. As a result of these measurements, it is understood at what level the gum disease has progressed, and the physician decides whether curettage treatment is necessary.

Anesthesia Application

The area where periodontal pockets are located and where curettage will be applied is numbed with local anesthesia. Thanks to local anesthesia, the patient is prevented from feeling any pain or discomfort during curettage.

Cleaning Stage (Curettage)

The dentist cleans the infected tissues, plaque, and tartar accumulated inside the pocket formed in the gum with the help of special equipment and ultrasonic devices. Tooth root surfaces are made smooth. The person is purified from harmful deposits.

Root Planing

A part of the curettage treatment is the smoothing of tooth root surfaces. Rough surfaces prepare the ground for bacteria to hold on to this region again. After the root surface is smoothed, it becomes more difficult for bacteria to hold on to this region. Gums can stick tightly to the root surface again.

Rinsing and Control

After the completion of the curettage procedure, the inside of the mouth is rinsed using an antiseptic solution. Your dentist performs their final checks and completes the treatment. Curettage application is usually completed within a single session. However, depending on the spread and severity of the disease, more than one session may need to be planned.

What Is the Care and Recovery Process After Dental Curettage?

Patients should pay attention to certain issues after dental curettage. In order for the treatment to be successful and the recovery process to progress smoothly, correct care practices must be performed after the treatment. In this period:

The patient may experience problems such as mild pain complaints, swelling, or sensitivity. You need to use painkillers prescribed by your dentist regularly to alleviate these symptoms. You can take precautions against sensitivity by staying away from extremely hot and extremely cold foods. These complaints improve spontaneously within a few days.

It is necessary not to eat or drink anything in the first few hours after curettage. In the subsequent period, hot, hard, and spicy foods should be avoided for a while.

One of the issues you should give the most importance to after having curettage done is oral hygiene. You should follow your dentist's recommendations, use a soft-bristled toothbrush, and include antiseptic mouthwashes, dental floss, and interdental brushes in your oral care routine. Do not forget that the area where curettage was applied is sensitive and do not neglect to brush this area gently.

Habits such as alcohol and smoking negatively affect the healing processes of the gums after curettage. Smoking generally slows down the body's wound healing mechanism and shows an effect that increases the risk of infection. Staying away from cigarettes and alcoholic beverages for a few days after curettage will support your recovery process.

Going to control appointments on the dates specified by your dentist makes it easier to follow your recovery process. It also provides a significant advantage for the early detection of potential health problems.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Curettage

Curettage treatment should be used in the treatment of gum diseases that have reached advanced levels. Because, like every procedure, the curettage procedure has advantageous and disadvantageous aspects.

Its advantages are as follows:

• Prevention of potential tooth losses
• Providing infection control
• Regaining gum health

Its disadvantageous aspects are:

• It causes you to feel sensitivity in the area temporarily
• A process is needed to heal
• There may be a risk of recurrence of problems.

What Are the Alternatives to Gum Curettage?

Gum curettage is used in cases where gum disease has reached advanced levels. There are also alternative treatment methods to be applied in different dimensions of the disease. If we need to list these:

• Dental scaling
• Laser-assisted treatments
• Non-surgical root planing
• Surgical periodontal treatments

Who Should Have Dental Curettage Done?

People experiencing symptoms such as gum bleeding, swelling in gums, wobbling in teeth, redness, or bad breath should be examined by a dentist or periodontology specialist immediately. If the depth of the pockets in the gums has exceeded 4mm, dental scaling may remain insufficient, and the curettage procedure may become mandatory. Early diagnosis and intervention carry great importance for stopping the progression of gum disease and preventing tooth losses. If you are also experiencing complaints such as bad breath and gum bleeding, you need to consult your dentist without being late.