Periodontitis: Your Gum’s Worst Enemy

Healthy gums are very important for healthy teeth.

Any inflammation of your gums and bone (periodontitis) can damage your bite and even cause you to lose teeth. To prevent this from happening, we take steps to stop the process, thus restoring your dental health for the long haul.

Our periodontal treatment includes:

Routine teeth cleanings (prophylaxis). This type of cleaning is for the patient who has slight to moderate gingivitis and no periodontal disease. The majority of our patients fall into this category because they make and keep their appointments for their cleanings every 4-6 months.

Gross Scaling. This type of cleaning is usually for those patients who have missed their appointments more than once. In cases like this, the patients can expect a longer appointment so that their hygienist can remove all of the hardened debris that has collected around the patient’s teeth. This type of cleaning is primarily focused on cleaning around the teeth, not under the gums.

Periodontal Cleanings. This type of cleaning is for the patient who has lost bone and gum tissue around the teeth and where "pockets" have developed under the gums. This type of cleaning may have to be completed over more than one appointment because it takes the hygienist a much longer period of time to accomplish. Special medicines and instruments are used to accomplish this type of cleaning.