Periodontal Care You may not be aware that many people suffer from periodontal disease, and they do not even know about it. One of the trickiest things about periodontal disease is that it is typically painless and can sneak up on unsuspecting individuals. Visible symptoms of the disease include swollen, red, bleeding, and recessed gums. A patient may have bad breath and may suffer tooth loss if not checked. However, many people never show symptoms at all and will be shocked when our dentist at Wildhorse Dental tells them that they need root planing and scaling instead of the typical dental cleaning. We are happy to talk more with you about the role of oral heath maintenance in preventing gum disease progression. We are here to help!Regular Cleaning vs. Periodontal CleaningThe goal of regular dental cleaning is to eradicate dental plaque and prevent decay, thereby ensuring optimal oral health. Therefore, regular dental cleaning serves as preventive care. When it comes to periodontal cleaning or maintenance, it involves deep cleaning of the gums and teeth to control or halt an already existing periodontal disease and prevent the potential loss of a tooth or other serious issues. If you have received gum disease treatment, you may require periodontal maintenance and care in order to halt its progression or recurrence. Periodontal Disease Can Only be ControlledIt is important to realize that periodontal disease is not curable, it can only be managed or controlled. It is for this reason that our dentist needs to examine the health of your gums every three or four months and perform a periodontal maintenance procedure involving deep cleaning. Unlike regular dental cleaning that happens twice a year or every six months, periodontal maintenance occurs more often. If you do not have periodontal disease closely monitored and controlled, it may worsen pretty quickly, hence destroying bone as well as soft tissues, and consequently causing tooth loss. What Periodontal Maintenance InvolvesMost dental cleanings and maintenance procedures start with X-rays. Our dentist or hygienist will want to see what is happening within the support structures on the gum line. Once those areas are examined, the hygienist or dentist cleans the teeth professionally using a scaler or an ultrasonic device. The teeth cleaning process aims at removing plaque from the crowns. Once that objective is achieved, our hygienist or dentist works on the areas of the tooth below the surface. In the case extensive plaque is present, a local anesthetic is administered to help numb the tissue in order to allow for a much deeper scaling of your teeth. Root planing may also be performed, and it takes dental scaling a step further, whereby our hygienist scrapes the tooth surface underneath the gum line. Besides removing tartar and plaque, planing smoothes out rough surfaces of the tooth roots in order to prevent the buildup of the filmy substance in the future. In simple terms, tooth scaling goes much further down your tooth root. After cleaning and polishing the teeth, an antibiotic may be prescribed. You may notice an improvement in the soft tissue within a few days. The swelling subsides and the tenderness goes away. The color of the gums returns to its beautiful-looking healthy pink. The large pockets caused by advancing gum disease are quite tough to reverse and thus periodontal maintenance only halts and stymies any further deepening of the pockets. You may require a different appointment where our dentist performs a gum graft or gum lift to help rebuild the gums. Have you been treated for periodontal disease? If so, then periodontal maintenance is critical. Contact us at Wildhorse Dental by calling 636-537-0447 to schedule an appointment for periodontal cleaning. |
Office HoursMonday: 8:00am-5:00pm Tuesday: 7:30am-4:00pm Wednesday: 7:30am-4:00pm Thursday: 7:30am-3:00pm Fri‑Sun: Closed |
