Root planing is a deep cleaning below the gumline used to treat gum disease. Gum disease is caused by a sticky film of bacteria called plaque. Root planing are nonsurgical. They are more of a deep cleaning that is done with handheld instruments or ultrasonic devices. Root planing are common dental procedures to treat gum disease, or periodontitis.Root planing is the smoothing of the subgingival root surfaces with a curette. Root-planing is usually performed using a combination of ultrasonic and hand instrumentation, such dental curettes or scalers. Using these instruments, bacterial plaque and dental calculus (tartar) are removed from the surfaces of the teeth, including the root surfaces above and below the gum line.