Subgingival debridement is the part of nonsurgical therapy which aims to remove the biofilm without intentionally removing the cementum or subgingival calculus. The objective of this review was to describe the end point of this therapy, the different methods used and how often it should be carried out. The literature shows that several methods are currently available for subgingival debridement, namely hand instrumentation, (ultra)sonic instrumentation, laser, photodynamic therapy and air‐polishing. None of these methods seems superior to any other regarding clinical benefits or microbiological differences. However, less treatment discomfort is reported using laser, photodynamic therapy or air‐polishing compared with hand‐ and/or (ultra)sonic instrumentation. Subgingival debridement can be carried out when, during supportive periodontal therapy, pockets of 5 mm or deeper are detected.