Pocket Irrigation

What is Pocket Irrigation?

Pocket irrigation or oral irrigation is an effective procedure to clean plaque from between teeth (interdental) and inside the deep gum pockets (subgingival).

Benefits for Pocket Irrigation

Pocket irrigation helps in cleaning deeper areas of the oral cavity where a toothbrush or a dental scraper may not reach.

The benefits of pocket irrigation include:

• Prevention of bad breath (halitosis): Water jets used for irrigation can reach deep areas of gum pockets to remove decayed food particles and resolve the problem of bad breath.
• Providing antibacterial therapy: Direct antibacterial therapy is an effective measure to treat bacteria inside the gum pockets.

Pocket Irrigation Procedure

Your dentist may perform the procedure along with other dental procedures such as dental cleaning or pocket reduction surgery. Your dentist will remove tartar (hardened plaque) or plaque from inside the gum pockets with special instruments. After these pockets are free of decayed material, antibacterial agent may be applied to reduce the remaining bacteria inside the pockets. A pocket irrigator involving water jet is then used to clean the pockets under the gums and interdental gaps.