
Long‐lasting gum disease is common. It can cause damage to gums and bone around the teeth and can result in tooth loss. It is treated by scaling and root planing, which involves deep cleaning below the gum line. Usual treatment is carried out in two to four sessions over several weeks. The mouth is divided into quarters and a different quarter of the mouth is treated at each session.
An alternative approach is full-mouth scaling. The whole mouth is treated within 24 hours in one or two sessions. When an antiseptic is added to full-mouth scaling, the treatment is called full‐mouth disinfection. Full‐mouth treatments are thought to reduce the likelihood of re‐infection in already treated sites.
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