Periodontal Procedures

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.

Home care is an extremely important part of 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, a visual inspection is performed to detect normal and abnormal structures of the entire mouth, head and neck. Along with radiographs, an examination detects 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, is the removal of dental plaque and tartar (calculus) from the teeth. Specialized instruments are used to gently remove these deposits without harming the teeth. First, an ultrasonic device that emits vibrations and is cooled by water is used to loosen larger pieces of tartar. Next, hand tools are used to manually remove smaller deposits and smooth the tooth surfaces.

The soft, pale-hued tissue that lines the interior of your mouth is known as the mucosa. Variations in its hue or feel may occasionally signal underlying health issues. It’s important to pay attention to any irregularities in your mouth’s tissue, like persistent sores, or any swellings found on the inner sides of your cheeks, the roof of your mouth, gums, or lips. Such conditions might necessitate a biopsy, allowing the collected tissue specimen to be examined for signs of oral cancer. Please take these indicators seriously and ensure to bring up any such issues during your medical consultation.

Gum grafting treats root exposure resulting from receded gum tissue. Tissue is removed from the roof of the mouth or from gum tissue near the tooth and stitched into the area needing gingival repair.

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.

Bone regeneration is a periodontal surgical procedure that regenerates jaw bone and surrounding tissue. This procedure is often performed to protect your existing teeth and the tissues that keep them in place from bacterial plaque. The gingival tissue is folded back to remove the disease-causing bacteria. Membranes, bone grafts, or tissue-stimulating proteins can be used to encourage the body’s natural ability to regenerate bone and tissue.

Ridge preservation involves placing a regenerative bone grafting material into empty tooth sockets to rebuild bone where an extraction has left an empty, weakened area. This process encourages your body’s natural capacity to regenerate bone.

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.

Periodontal disease develops when plaque spreads below the gum line and causes the tissue and bone that support the teeth to decay. The gums then separate from the teeth and form what are known as periodontal pockets which can become infected, leading to loss of tissue and bone. Extensive bone loss due to periodontal disease can result in the loss of one or multiple teeth.

In order to rid the gums of bacteria, the periodontist can perform a procedure often referred to as pocket depth reduction. During this procedure, the periodontist will cut a flap into the gum and fold it back to temporarily expose the tooth root and bone. If necessary, the periodontist will smooth areas of damaged bone to limit the surfaces upon which bacteria can grow. After ridding the area of bacteria, the gum tissue is stitched back into place. This procedure minimizes the depth of periodontal pockets and gets rid of bacteria in order to minimize the effects of periodontal disease and limit its progression.