Cleanings and Prevention

We'll help you keep your smile beautiful and healthy.
You may not know it, but there's more to cleaning teeth than brushing and flossing. We evaluate each patient individually to determine which treatment best suits their periodontal health.

There are four types of cleaning procedures used at our practice:

Debridement

A debridement is a procedure for removing thick or dense deposits on the teeth.  It is required when deposits of plaque and calculus are too heavy to allow for an adequate exam by a dentist.  After your debridement, depending on the condition of your teeth and gums, you may need to have a regular cleaning; or you may require root planing and scaling or other more extensive gum and bone treatments.  Debridement can be an important first step in helping you return to better oral health, especially if you haven’t been to a dentist in years.

Adult Prophylaxis

In dental terms, this familiar procedure is called prophylaxis and is described as: "scaling and polishing to remove coronal plaque, calculus and stains above the gums." We call it good maintenance for patients who have a healthy mouth with no gum or bone problems. Other procedures exist for patients who have any bone loss, periodontal disease, or infection around their teeth. If you have mobility of your teeth, bleeding, receded areas where your gums have pulled away from your teeth, or gaps where the spaces around the roots of your teeth are exposed, regular/standard cleaning is not the best method of cleaning for you.

Root Planing

The procedure removes bacteria, toxins and diseased deposits from the surfaces of tooth roots. It is one of the first steps in treating gum and bone disease, otherwise known as periodontal disease.

Periodontal disease is very common, but doesn't always have distinct symptoms. It is an inflammation and infection of the supporting structures of the teeth (gums, bone, ligaments, root surfaces) that eventually results in the loss of your teeth. If your gums bleed easily, are red or swollen, or your teeth appear longer or have shifted, this may be the appropriate treatment for you.

Periodontal Maintenance

If you have periodontal disease and we use root planing to remove deposits from the roots of your teeth, regular or standard cleaning treatments are no longer appropriate. Instead, you will require on-going gum and bone care procedures to keep your mouth healthy.

If you are treated for periodontal disease (through surgery or root planing), we will consult with you and explain the components of an on-going periodontal maintenance program. Typically, an interval of three months between appointments is most effective.

Pediatric Prophylaxis

For our youngest patients, we create a positive experience and focus on teaching good oral hygiene and dietary habits. A fluoride treatment is included to keep developing teeth strong.