Home care plays a vital role in maintaining healthy teeth and gums, but even the best routines cannot fully eliminate bacteria and plaque. If plaque is left untreated, it can harden into calculus. We will recommend a periodontal maintenance plan tailored to your needs, depending on how quickly you develop calculus and your past and current periodontal health. During your maintenance visits, we will conduct an oral examination along with a dental cleaning.
The oral examination involves a visual assessment to identify both normal and abnormal structures in the mouth, head, and neck. Alongside radiographs, this examination helps detect cavities, issues with existing dental restorations, gum and bone recession, and any other irregularities.
A dental cleaning, or oral prophylaxis, involves the removal of dental plaque and tartar (calculus) from the teeth. We use specialized instruments to gently eliminate these deposits without damaging the teeth. Initially, an ultrasonic device that vibrates and is cooled by water loosens larger pieces of tartar. Then, hand tools are utilized to manually remove smaller deposits and smooth the surfaces of the teeth.
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:
No local anesthesia required
- No adhesive required
- No dressing required
- No need for removal as the microspheres are completely bioresorbed
- Remains active in the pocket for an extended period of time
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.
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.
Bone grafting is the replacement or enhancement of bone around teeth. When a tooth is lost, the surrounding bone collapses. Bone grafting is performed to reverse bone loss or enhance bone. The bone can be taken from parts of the body or from synthetic material. Bone grafting allows for proper support of dental implants or prostheses.
Periodontal splinting is done to stabilize teeth that have become loose as a result of bone loss due to periodontal disease. The doctor will determine if periodontal splints are needed, as sometimes careful management of the periodontal disease causes the teeth to become more stable. Periodontal splints may use stabilizing wire or ribbon, composite resin, crowns, inlays/onlays, and/or veneers to accomplish the goal of stabilizing the teeth.
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