Periodontal Treatment
What is periodontal treatment?
Periodontal treatment is a term that covers a wide range of services, and are reserved for those patients that are at a high risk of, or already have, moderate to advanced gum disease. It includes deep cleanings, antimicrobial treatments, special prescriptions, and sometimes a referral to specialty care. Periodontal Treatment is part of the many preventative services we offer.
While we strive to provide a wide ranges of services, sometimes a patient’s periodontal condition has deteriorated to the point that specialty care is necessary. In those cases we have a local Periodontist where we can refer patients to get the advanced gum and bone care they need to preserve their teeth and smile.
Why would I want periodontal treatment?
Periodontal treatment is often misunderstood as simply a “deep cleaning” but it is actually much more than that.
Periodontal treatment is an entire range of services unto itself that aims to preserve the bone and gum tissue around your remaining teeth. See our page on gum disease to learn exactly how this happens.
What is periodontal gum disease?
How does it work?
The first step is a comprehensive evaluation where we make a map of your gums and bone to establish a baseline for your care. That is something that is accomplished either at your first exam with Dr. Matthew Lee, or with one of our hygienists, Sandy or Amanda. This allows us to know exactly what your gum and bone health status is around all of your teeth so that we can come up with a plan to address any areas that might need special attention or other more advanced intervention.
Then, based on what we find, we develop a short term plan, a long term plan, and a home care plan that fits your lifestyle to ensure that your gums and bone stay healthy and stable for as long as possible. The short and long term plan typically involves an initial deep cleaning and potentially extracting any teeth that are no longer stable. Then we work with you to develop a daily home care routine and a schedule of maintenance appointments where you return to our clinic so we can monitor and clean those areas that are hard to access at home.
Furthermore, just like a tree cannot live in bad soil, your teeth cannot survive in toxic and bacteria ridden gum and bone. Our dental hygienists specialize in cleaning this bacteria so that your gums and bone stay healthy, forming the foundation for overall oral health and a long lasting and functioning smile. Even if your teeth are in great shape, there’s a lot going on beneath the surface of your gums! Gum disease is often painless and can tend to catch patients by surprise, especially if it has been many years since they’ve seen a dentist.