Treating and preventing disease of the tissues that support teeth, like your gums and bone, is crucial to maintaining proper oral health. Scaling and root planning is a common procedure that is intended to remove the hard bacterial accumulation (called calculus or tartar) below the gum line. Local anesthesia is used to ensure complete numbness of the area and the calculus can then be removed. After this deep cleaning procedure, patients should follow a regular maintenance and cleaning schedule.