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Home care is extremely important in maintaining healthy teeth and gums, but even excellent home care cannot prevent bacteria and plaque. If the plaque is not removed, it can harden, becoming calculus. We will recommend a periodontal maintenance program that is best for you based on how quickly you develop calculus and your past and current periodontal health. During your maintenance visits, we will perform an oral examination as well as a dental cleaning.
During an oral examination, we perform a visual inspection to detect normal and abnormal structures of the entire mouth, head, and neck. Combining the examination results and digital radiographs, our team can detect cavities, abnormalities in existing dental restorations, gum and bone recession, and any other abnormal findings within the mouth, head, and neck.
A dental cleaning, also known as an oral prophylaxis, removes dental plaque and tartar (calculus) from the teeth. Specialized instruments gently remove these deposits without harming the teeth. First, an ultrasonic device emits vibrations to loosen larger pieces of tartar. Next, hand tools manually remove smaller deposits and smooth the tooth surfaces.
Scaling and root planing is a non-surgical procedure used to treat gum disease. During the scaling process, specialized dental instruments are used to remove dental plaque and calculus from beneath the gums. Planing is the procedure used to smooth the tooth’s root after the scaling process. Root planing helps the gums heal and reattach themselves to a cleaner and smoother root surface.
ARESTIN® is a locally applied antibiotic that delivers minocycline microspheres in the form of a powder. It is placed directly into the infected periodontal pocket at the time of scaling and root planing procedures for easy, targeted treatment. The microspheres adhere to the surrounding surfaces to provide a sustained release of the antibiotic at the site of active infection for effective treatment. It is used in pocket depth reduction and may be used as part of a periodontal maintenance program.
Benefits of ARESTIN® include:
Crown lengthening is commonly used to expose more tooth structure, crown lengthening involves the removal of gum tissue and/or bone to expose more of a tooth’s structure.
If gum recession is present and tooth roots are exposed, your doctor may recommend a gum graft to control and prevent further gum recession and subsequent damage to the surrounding teeth and bone structure. Often, a soft tissue graft also improves the appearance of a patient’s smile and sensitivity to heat and cold. This procedure may be used to treat one or several adjacent teeth at the time of the surgery
The surrounding bone is often affected over time when a tooth is lost. Patients without enough jaw bone mass are not candidates for dental implants. Bone grafting helps generate and rebuild bone and increase bone density. It is often performed to address defects in a patient’s jaw, reverse bone loss, or enhance existing bone, allowing for the proper support of dental implants or prostheses.
