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Prophylaxis is a tool for preventing “pyorrhea”, but in no case is it useful for treating it. Have you heard that dental hygiene is useful for treating periodontitis or “pyorrhea”?
It is very likely because there is some confusion about this.
The reason is that many people confuse dental hygiene with scaling and root planing (misnamed “curettage”).
Although both treatments are very useful in dealing with periodontal disease, they play different roles and are used at different times.
Dental hygiene (also called prophylaxis) removes bacterial plaque and “tartar” that accumulates on the surface of the teeth.
They also eliminate surface stains.
To perform them, dentists use sonic and ultrasonic devices that, through vibration waves, break the calculus on the outside of the tooth without affecting the enamel.
The Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) itself defines prophylaxis as “preservation of the disease”, which already gives us a clue to its function as a prevention tool against periodontitis.
A tool for prevention, not cure. But… what happens if we already have periodontitis?
Is dental hygiene useful for treating it?
Absolutely not.
Gingivitis is the mildest form of periodontal disease, an inflammation that only affects the gums and that we can cure by improving our oral hygiene and having professional cleanings.
However, periodontitis or “pyorrhea” requires a more in-depth treatment that is usually divided into three phases: hygienic or de-inflammatory, corrective or surgical and, finally, the periodontal maintenance phase.
It is in the first of these phases that root scaling and smoothing are used, which are often confused with dental hygiene.
Unlike the latter, scraping and straightening provide deeper hygiene.
Its objective is to eliminate periodontal pockets, that is, those accumulations of bacteria that form under the gums, separating them from the root of the tooth and destroying the bone that surrounds it.
Scaling and straightening are usually done in quadrants, in four sessions, while hygiene is usually done in a single session.
Scaling and smoothing are only indicated when, after a periodontal probe, we detect inflammation and bleeding or suppuration of the gums.
And what are curettages?
Root planing and scaling are often incorrectly called curettages.
Perhaps because both procedures use instruments called “curettes”.
But curettage is a surgical technique that is used in the second phase of periodontal treatment and is only necessary in advanced cases of periodontitis.
In short, dental hygiene prevents and can cure gingivitis, but it does not cure periodontitis or “pyorrhea”.
To avoid confusing dental hygiene with scaling or root planing, we can follow the popular saying: It is better to have one or two dental hygiene visits a year (to prevent) than scaling or root planing (to cure).