Ask the Dental Experts
Our philosophy is to help our patients achieve and maintain exceptional dental health. We work hard to make sure that our level of care is deserving of our patients’ respect and confidence. Our tradition of preventive dentistry is the basis for all service and care in our practice. We welcome all questions and comments regarding dentistry in the hope that we increase your dental "IQ" and help you make better dental health decisions.Monday, June 05, 2006
Gum Disease
Q: My dentist has told me that I have gum disease and that I need an immediate deep scaling and cleaning under my gums. Can you tell me what is involved and are there any risks with this procedure. Is it usual for this procedure to be carried out by a general dentist or would one normally be referred to a periodontist?
A: Periodontal (gum) disease, including gingivitis and periodontitis, are serious infections that, left untreated, can lead to tooth loss. The word periodontal literally means "around the tooth." Periodontal disease is a chronic bacterial infection that affects the gums and bone supporting the teeth.
Treatment of this problem depends on the severity of your problem. The treatment recommended can range from routine hygiene visits (dental prophylaxis) to complex periodontal surgery and even the loss of hopeless teeth. Your periodontal diagnosis and individual situation will dictate what has been recommended for your periodontal care.
Scaling and root planing seems to be a procedure that causes a lot of confusion for patients. There is a huge difference between "just a cleaning" and scaling and root planing. Scaling and root planing is done to remove tartar and hard crusty calculus around and below the gumline. Periodic cleaning (dental prophylaxis) removes only the buildup above the gumline.
Scaling is a procedure that removes all the buildup, plaque, tartar, micro-organisms and toxins under the gumline, all the way to the bottom of the pocket. It is a meticulous process, and it can be very time-consuming.
Root planing involves smoothing the root surfaces after the tartar is removed so that the gum tissue can heal and more firmly re-attach to the teeth. The tartar and calculus that was there does a great deal of damage to the root surface of the tooth, and a smooth surface is less likely to have new calculus grow.
Because these procedures are more complicated than a "regular cleaning", your mouth usually needs to be numbed, and it might take more than one appointment to accomplish the treatment. Again, it is all very dependent on the degree of your problem. This treatment is routinely done in both the general dental office and the periodontal specialty office.
Please call our offices at 888.790.0309 for more information or to schedule a consultation.
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