Periodontal Cleaning & Maintenance For Gums


Written By: Ehsan Jahandarpour

Periodontal cleaning is the process of removing the bacteria that cause severe gum disease. Periodontal cleaning is an essential dentistry procedure to maintain the health of teeth and gums. Periodontal cleaning prevents the buildup of tartar on the gum line and treats gum pockets.

What is Periodontal?

Plaque and tartar buildup in the mouth can cause gum infection, gum pockets, fissures, keratolysis, and periodontal erosion that may lead to jaw problems and permanent tooth loss, and the need for dentistry dental implants.

Learning about oral hygiene and Periodontal maintenance reduces the risk of gum disease and periodontitis.

Periodontal disease is a chronic disease that requires ongoing treatment and early detection. It may affect your general health and even cause tooth loss. If it is not treated, bacteria build up and can cause severe gum problems.

Periodontal deep cleaning:

Periodontal cleaning is an emergency dental care procedure to maintain gum and bone health. The dentist first examines your teeth and gums to check for signs of gum disease. They may run diagnostic tests that help find the symptoms. If periodontal disease is found, a cleaning procedure will be performed to deep clean your gum, between teeth, and any tartar buildups.

Periodontal Maintenance:

Periodontal cleaning and maintenance involve regularly cleaning your teeth and gums to prevent gum disease. Periodontal disease is caused by bacteria found in plaque, which colonize gum tissue and cause inflammation and irritation. This inflammatory response in the body can damage bone and gum tissue.

How to do a deep gum cleaning?

Professional periodontal cleaning is a procedure carried out to clean your teeth thoroughly and requires multiple visits to a dentistry clinic. The procedure involves the use of ultrasonic devices. While ultrasonic devices and lasers have been developed for deep cleaning teeth, they have not replaced traditional methods.

It is very similar to regular cleanings,s so your dentist will remove any visible tartar during your periodontal cleaning. These procedures remove plaque and tartar from your teeth, allowing your gums to heal and close up. After the procedure, your dentist may prescribe medication to relieve pain and prevent infection.

What is Periodontitis?

In general, periodontitis is an infection in the gums that causes teeth to lose their supporting bone. It’s caused by bacteria that enter deep beneath the gums. Early diagnosis and treatment can prevent bone loss and tooth loss. Periodontitis is the leading cause of tooth loss in the United States.

Periodontitis is a serious dental condition that is made worst by smoking and chewing tobacco

Periodontitis can be treated in several ways, including flap surgery. First, you should ensure that you have an oral hygiene regimen that includes brushing and flossing. Secondly, you should stop smoking. Periodontitis can cause teeth to loosen, and it’s important to make sure that you brush and floss your teeth properly.

What is Deep cleaning?

Deep cleaning is a major step toward restoring a healthy mouth and is typically completed in two to four visits. After each cleaning, your hygienist will assess the gum pockets around the teeth and discuss what type of maintenance is needed to keep your gums and teeth clean. Deep teeth cleaning also helps to reduce the risk of severe gum disease.

Deep periodontal cleaning is synonymous with deep cleaning and is usually combined with scaling and root planing. This procedure removes tartar and plaque from the surface of the teeth, below the gumline. It is effective for treating gingivitis and preventing the more severe stages of periodontal disease.

What are Gum Disease?

There are seven known gum diseases:

  1. Gingivitis.
  2. Chronic periodontitis.
  3. Aggressive periodontitis.
  4. Systematic Periodontitis
  5. Necrotizing ulcerative gingivitis (NUG)
  6. Periodontium Abscesses
  7. Combined periodontic-endodontic lesions.

The initial stages of gum disease are mild and can be treated with home care, but once the condition progresses, professional treatment is necessary. As the disease progresses, pockets form between the teeth and gums, making it difficult to clean and maintain healthy gums. Eventually, the pockets will be so deep that a dental surgeon may need to perform a periodontal surgery.

Treatment

Periodontal treatment is a vital aspect of your oral care. Once you have completed periodontal therapy, you’ll need to schedule maintenance visits at scheduled intervals. In general, dentists may choose from four treatments:

  1. Root Planing
  2. Scaling
  3. Surgery
  4. Antibiotics

Root Planing:

Root Planing is a procedure that helps smooth out the rough surface of your root and gums, thereby deterring tartar buildup. It also removes bacterial byproducts that can contribute to inflammation and delay the healing of the gums. It may be combined with antibiotic treatments, such as topical gels to be applied to the gums and spaces between teeth.

Before scaling and root planing is performed, a thorough examination is conducted by the dentist. Dental professionals will take X-rays and visual examinations to make a diagnosis and recommend a treatment.

Surgery

The dentist will first perform a deep cleaning to remove the affected gum tissue. However, if the infection is not controlled with cleaning, further treatment will be necessary, such as surgery. Patients will also need to undergo a series of cleanings to keep the disease under control.

After the surgery, antibiotics may also be prescribed for patients. During a deep cleaning, a dentist can insert antibiotic threads or gels. The dentist can also insert products like PerioChips, which slowly release chlorhexidine gels into the pockets. These products may help reduce bacteria levels and promote rapid healing.

Why is root planing important?

Plaque and calculus can progress into developing black tartar if not removed. This progress can lead to space between gums also known as gum pockets and gum erosion, which can further harm the roots, enamel, gums, bones, and connective tissues. Therefore, root planing is essential to prevent such dental disease.

What is Scaling?

Periodontal scaling is one of the most important dental procedures. It involves the removal of tartar and plaque, which build up on the teeth and irritate the gums.

A dentist can detect the periodontal disease during routine dental checkups. Using a periodontal probe, a dentist can measure the depth of the pockets. Ideally, the pockets are no more than one to three millimeters deep. If the pockets are deeper, they are indicative of gingivitis.

Is Root Scaling important?

In severe periodontal disease cases where dental scaling has to be done on the roots of the tooth, your dentist may end the process with regular cleaning removes plaque and tartar from above the gum line, making sure that the surrounding of the wound is 100% cleaned and there is no room for bacteria to live in the pockets.

Antibiotics

Systemic antibiotics may be used in conjunction with scaling and root planing (SRP) for aggressive treatment of periodontitis. The initiation of antibiotic therapy should occur at least 24 hours prior to scaling and root planing.

Additionally, patients may be prescribed certain medications for inflammation and/or bacterial proliferation. The use of antibiotics should not reduce or impair innate immunity. This includes minimizing the release of autoantigens, or NETs.

Followup

After a periodontal cleaning treatment, it is important to maintain good oral hygiene. This means brushing twice a day and flossing at night. It also means using prescribed mouthwash to rinse.

How much does Periodontal maintenance cost?

Depending on your periodontal health, you may need to book regular maintenance sessions with your DDS or dentist. Each session costs between $150 to $350. Deep dental cleanings often require one visit every 6 months.

Is periodontal teeth cleaning expensive?

The cost of treating severe gum disease is more expensive than cleaning. If you maintain a good oral health routine, one or two sessions of periodontal cleaning might be enough, and those two sessions won’t exceed $500.

Professional periodontal therapy performed by a periodontal expert will not only cure gum pocket diseases but will also prevent them. In most cases, professionals charge a nominal fee for their services.

Regular dental cleaning Vs. Periodontal scaling:

Regular cleaning is generally done using regular teeth cleaners and floss. Since bacteria and calculus remain below the surface, Prophylaxis is used for deep cleaning during periodontal scaling.

What are the benefits of root cleaning?

Root cleaning uses Prophylaxis, a treatment recommended for people with periodontal disease. Prophylaxis is a treatment that prevents the development of periodontal pockets or bone deterioration caused by gum pockets.

How often do I need dental periodontal maintenance?

Generally, a regular periodontal maintenance schedule is required if you have pockets, sensitive gums, and gum disease gum.

Can Periodontal maintenance stop bone deterioration?

Periodontal cleaning will also help prevent periodontal disease by removing the bacteria that cause periodontal infection, such as Streptococcus salivarius, which is responsible for periodontal pockets and bone deterioration.

Comments are closed.