Periodontal maintenance is a type of cleaning designed for patients who have undergone periodontal surgery and/or those who are prone to periodontal disease or gingivitis. This is a program of regular visits to the dental hygienist, typically done every three or four months depending on the condition of your teeth after the scaling and root planing process and is designed to prevent periodontal disease from recurring.

Dental cleaning involves removing plaque (soft, sticky, bacteria-infested film) and tartar (calculus) deposits that have built-up on the teeth over time. Allowing plaque and tarter to accumulate on the teeth creates the ideal conditions for bacteria to thrive next to the gums. Cleaning and polishing leaves the surfaces of the teeth clean and smooth so that bacteria are less able to stick, enabling you to better keep your teeth clean during regular home care.

This is a more in-depth check for oral cancers designed to be used in a patient population at increased risk for oral cancer, especially smokers and users of tobacco products. We recommend that our patients who smoke or use other tobacco products have this done on an annual basis. This screening helps to identify oral lesions at their earliest stage of development, which enables the treatment to be simpler, less invasive and more than 90% successful.

After cleaning, fluoride foam or gel is placed into small, flexible foam trays and placed over the teeth for 30 seconds. Fluoride treatments help to strengthen the tooth’s surfaces weakened by the acids from bacteria in dental tartar and plaque.

Bacteria in your mouth forms a sticky film (plaque) on teeth and gums. If it is not removed, this film hardens into a crust (tartar, also called calculus). The buildup of plaque and tartar causes an infection called periodontal disease leading to pain, gum damage, bone loss and even tooth loss. Scaling and root planing is a special type of non-surgical gum therapy that removes the plaque and tartar from below the gum line, helping gums to firmly reattach to the teeth. The scaling and root planning process is usually broken up into quadrants, doing each quadrant about two weeks apart. We can also numb the treatment area if needed to eliminate any discomfort.

A handheld laser probe that is shined on each tooth in the mouth with detailed information from each then tooth being transmitted to the handheld laser. Diagnodent digital imaging with Spectra™ digital imaging helps diagnose early decay in the under layer of the tooth (the dentin) long before a cavity is detectable in the outer, visible layer (enamel). It can also be used to follow a suspicious tooth or teeth over time to see if conditions change.

Ultrasonic scalers are used by our hygienists to more quickly and comfortably remove larger amounts of tartar from the tooth through ultra-sonic vibrations, spraying a cooling mist of water while it works to wash away debris and keep the area at a comfortable temperature.