Deep Cleaning

THERAPY FOR ACTIVE GUM DISEASE

Through a detailed examination of your gums we have found that the normal attachment of gums to your teeth is in a slowly deteriorating state. This is creating pockets of infection that will continue to grow if left untreated. A normal healthy pocket depth around is a scant 1 or 2 millimeters. We have found more than one pocket depth of 5 millimeters or greater around your teeth. Even the best tooth brusher and flosser can not reach deep below the gums to clear this problem.

Pocket depths greater than 7 millimeters require gum surgery performed by a specialist, so one of our goals is to attempt to stop the disease process with a much less complicated treatment. If left completely untreated, you are assured the loss of most or all of your teeth over the coming years. Once the pocket depths progress to 8 millimeters the teeth often become loose and susceptible to frequent infections.

The process of gum disease usually begins with the build up of hard, calcified substances called tatar, along the root surfaces of each tooth. As this material increases, it creates a rough ledge under which bacteria can grow just below the gums. This low grade infection causes the bone between each tooth to dissolve, and this, in turn, leaves more room for tartar and bacteria to collect in a pocket under the gums.

The only way to arrest this cycle of build up and furthur deterioration is to thoroughly clean the root surfaces of every tooth and to polish each tooth to reduce the likelihood of continued build up.

Typical therapy for gum disease follows this plan:

Appointment 1 - At this visit we will thoroughly numb both upper and lower teeth on one side of your mouth and remove the tartar from the root surfaces. Our anesthesia will assure you have no discomfort during the procedure. This appointment takes 2 hours.

Appointment 2 - This visit will be exactly like your first visit except we will work on the upper and lower teeth on the opposite side of your mouth. This visit also takes 2 hours.

Appointment 3 - At this appointment, we will complete any fine details of cleaning and thoroughly polish the surfaces of each tooth. This visit is without discomfort and does not require anesthesia. This visit takes 1 hour.

Appointment 4 - Three months after the third appointment, we will have you return for a regular cleaning through which you should be completely comfortable. At the end of this visit we will compare your pocket depths to your original measurements, and we should be able to judge the success of our therapy and recommend a cycle of routine cleanings that would best keep gum disease from becoming active again in your mouth. For some people it is important to perform a conventional cleaning every three months. For others, four or six months may be fine between visits.

Our dental hygienists have had exceptional training in this procedure and will pass on to you all the knowledge you need to manage your gums in a healthy state between visits to our office. Our goal is to see all your pocket depths improve and then stabilize for many years because the inflammation process is stopped.

Unfortunately, the signs and symptoms of this kind of gum disease are not often obvious and this may be the first time you have ever been made aware of the problem. While we can greatly decrease the problems caused by inflammation with this kind of therapy, the bone itself will never grow back so we must do what we can to stop the advancement of the process immediately.

The inconspicuous nature of gum disease and the permanency of its effects make it imperative that we treat gum disease very vigorously as soon as it is detected, and then monitor the health of your gums in the future on a very routine schedule. We sincerely appreciate the confidence you have shown in us by working with our team to assure the long lasting health of your smile.