Periodontal Maintenance
Vancouver, WA
 Our expert dentists at Alder Dental use specialized equipment for dental cleaning. We generally recommend periodontal maintenance to our patients if they have suffered or are suffering from periodontal disease. However, we may recommend this type of cleaning if our patient’s teeth need thorough cleaning to protect them against gingivitis.
Periodontal disease occurs when gum tissue is colonized by the bacteria from plaque. These bacteria colonies lead to serious irritation and inflammation. This induces a chronic inflammatory response, and the body starts to destroy bone and gum tissue, and as a result, the teeth may start to shift, fall out, or become unstable.
We recommend our patients get periodontal cleaning done every three to four months, as the bad bacteria can form colonies in their mouths just three months after the cleaning. Frequent removal of these harmful bacteria will protect your gums in the long run.
Our Periodontal Procedure
Our specialists will make you feel at ease during this simple procedure. We use sterilized products to ensure a bacteria-free mouth. We first take an x-ray to decipher the seriousness of the damage. This step will tell us which area needs maximum attention. Then we perform supragingival cleaning to clean the patient’s gumline thoroughly with scaling tools. This helps in getting rid of calculus and plaque present on the gumline.
Next, we perform subgingival cleaning. Patients with the periodontal disease develop small gum pockets full of calculus and bacteria. They require cleaning of the gums as well. Subgingival cleaning will eradicate those gum pockets with bacteria. Our next step is to smooth the tooth root to knock out the remaining bacteria. This procedure is called root planing. After this, we apply an antimicrobial or antibiotic cream in the gum pockets. The cream will heal the pockets faster, and ease discomfort.
Why Should You Get Periodontal Maintenance Done?
The procedure eliminates all bacteria present above, below, or in the gumline. It also cleans the plaque and tartar buildup on your teeth and gum line. As a result, the patient’s issue regarding bad breath gets solved.
How Is Periodontal Maintenance Different from Regular Cleaning and Deep Cleaning?
We perform regular cleaning or prophylaxis with an ultrasonic scaler to remove plaque, stains, and tartar from the patients’ teeth. Only the crown or the visible part of the teeth is cleaned. So, we recommend patients with good oral health get regular cleaning done. Deep cleaning involves removing bacteria, tartar, and unhealthy deposits from the teeth root. We recommend deep cleaning to the patients who want to undergo dental cleaning but have signs of periodontal disease like bad breath, bleeding gums, red and swollen gums, and recessed gums.
We perform periodontal maintenance only on those patients who have periodontal disease or have had periodontal disease, to ensure their oral health does not deteriorate further. The procedure is not just cleaning the gums but also maintaining them. This is why it is different from regular cleaning and deep cleaning. To learn more about periodontal professional maintenance, contact us at Alder Dental at (360) 831-0831 today.
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