 | Scaling and root planing. This involves the very delicate
smoothing and cleaning of the teeth in areas contacting the gum tissue. Sometimes
done with local anesthetic to reduce discomfort |
| Prophylaxis. This is the traditional "cleaning"
often done on a routine basis. Removing hard and soft deposits on teeth allows the
patient to maintain the gum tissues in a healthy state. Hard deposits,
"tartar" or "calculus" on the teeth should only be removed by a
professional dentist or hygienist. it will not brush off |
| Home care instruction. The bottom line is that no treatment
will be successful unless the patient participates in the daily cleaning of the mouth to
keep the bacteria present from releasing toxins which damage the tissues. We need to
make sure you know how to keep things clean. |
| Chemical intervention. A variety of toothpastes,
mouthrinses, and other chemical treatments may aid in gum health in some cases. For
example, persons on chemotherapy may need the extra support for the immune system of
medicated mouthrinses to keep disease in check. Other situations may be helped by
therapy as well. |
| Surgical treatment. In our office, we typically do not do a
great deal of periodontal surgery. Some procedures are within our training and
experience, but more advanced or special cases are usually seen by a periodontal
specialist who has the necessary expertise to provide state of the art gum treatment.
We make referral decisions based on the best interest of each individual patient. |
