Plaque is a sticky, colorless film of food and bacteria that remains on the teeth.  When left unchecked, it progresses and forms deep gum pockets.  Deep gum pockets are one sign of periodontal disease.  As gums begin to recede, a person with Periodontitis may also lose bone around his or her teeth.

This is because typical dental hygiene will not work on plaque once advanced gum disease sets in.  Professional periodontal disease treatment will be needed to remove the plaque with special dental tools.  These tools are available only through a dentist or license dental hygienist and must be used correctly in the context of an appropriate gum disease treatment procedure. 

The main reason that patients must seek the help of a dentist is the deep pockets that periodontal disease causes.  As gums begin to recede, they form pockets greater than 3 mm in depth.  This will cause bone loss in many instances, as well as long-term damage to the gums themselves. 

Patients experiencing any of the following conditions need to contact their dentist and schedule a complete dental examination.  If they do have Periodontitis, periodontal disease treatment will need to be administered as soon as possible.  

         Swollen gums, tenderness in the gums, or red inflammation of the gums

         Other pain in the mouth

         Gums bleed when teeth are brushed and flossed

         Gums bleed when hard food is eaten

         Gums recede and pull away from the teeth, causing the teeth to look longer than before

         Loose or separating teeth

         Pus appears between the gums and teeth

         Sores appear in the mouth

         Chronic bad breath

         A change in the bite

         A change in the partial denture fit

Regular brushing and flossing are not enough to effectively remove plaque from your teeth.  Instead, it takes special tools and periodontal disease treatments to deal with plaque effectively. 

Homecare methods that normally work are frustrated by periodontal disease.

When the mouth is healthy, the sulcus, which is the space between the teeth and gums, is approximately 2 to 3 millimeters deep.  Brushing and flossing will effectively clean these areas.  However, when periodontal disease sets in, the sulcus deepens and the pockets grow more than 3 millimeters.  Regular homecare and dental hygiene will not help at this point. 

Keep in mind too that in a healthy mouth, bone levels are high, so gums attach at the necks of the teeth.  Exposed tooth surfaces are smooth.  Dental floss will make full contact with the area to keep it thoroughly clean.

However, periodontal disease causes the bone levels to fall and the tooth attachments to recede.  This will expose tooth root surfaces, which have indentions.  Floss stretches across these indentions; but it is not able to remove the plaque that has formed in them.

Special cleaning tools are needed to deal with these problems.

Professional periodontal disease treatment requires the use of special tools to reach below the 3 millimeter point and clean the gum pockets and root indentations.   Each tool is useful in different parts of your mouth.  Dentists are happy to recommend the right tools for your situation.  They will also show patients how to use any self-care tools that may need to be taken home.