Everyone experiences some form of plaque buildup. The saliva, bacteria, and proteins in your mouth form a thin layer that covers your teeth at almost all times.

When you eat, tiny particles, acids, and sugars from the food stick to this film, creating a buildup on the teeth known as plaque. The bacteria that lives in this plaque can cause gum disease and tooth decay. Brushing, flossing, and regular dental cleanings will help remove the plaque and prevent more serious problems.

If you have healthy gums, the tissue will fit tightly around the tooth and keep plaque out. However, if gum disease begins to form, this tissue will loosen. Healthy gums attach to the tooth just 1 to 3 millimeters below the gumline. With gum disease, you’ll begin to develop deeper pockets. These can fill with plaque, worsening your problems and causing symptoms like bad breath.

If you have pockets of 4 millimeters or more, your dentist will probably recommend dental scaling to remove the plaque beneath the gumline and help treat the gum disease.

Dental scaling involves the careful removal of plaque bacteria from the tooth’s surface just below the gumline. There are two basic methods for scaling teeth. If your dentist uses handheld instruments, he or she will scrape plaque from the tooth using a metal tool known as a dental scaler and curette. The dentist will insert this thin tool beneath the gum line to access plaque your toothbrush can’t reach.

Alternately, your dentist may choose an ultrasonic instrument to scale your teeth. This features a vibrating metal tip combined with a cool water spray. The tip chips tartar away as the water flushes out the pocket.

BENEFITS OF TREATMENT

1. Cleaning prevents more serious problems of gums as well as teeth & its surrounding structures.
2. Cleaning prevents problems like bad breath, gum recession, gum enlargement, pockets, tooth decay, loose teeth etc..

FAQ’s :

Receding gums or exposure in the roots of the teeth caused by loss of gum tissue is gum recession.

For mild gum recession a need to get deep cleaning treatments called “Scaling & root planning” to treat gum recession.

Receding Gum Symptoms-

1. Long teeth
2. Exposed Roots
3. Loose teeth

If deep cleaning is not sufficient because of excess loss of bone & deep pockets, receding gum surgery may be required, gum surgery like gingivoplasty or gum graft.

BENEFITS

This treatment prevents from conditions like sensitivity & other more serious problems like loose teeth, periodontitis & also give good esthetic appearance.

FAQ’s :

It is a surgical procedure designed to remove the soft tissue lining of the periodontal pocket.

-Gingival curettage involves removing the tartar & the bacterial plaque from the gingival pockets.
-Gingival curettage is only carried out under anesthesia
-A special instrument is used to scrape the gingival wall, eliminating the soft tissue from the periodontal pocket while also cleaning any exposed portion of the tooth’s root.

BENEFITS:

This procedure improves the stability of the teeth , the health of the gums. Prevents from further damage of tooth and its surrounding structures.

FAQ’s :

Periodontal or gum disease is an infection of the supporting tissues and bone that hold your teeth in place. It is usually caused by:

• Poor oral hygiene
• Smoking
• Chronic illnesses, such as diabetes
• Certain medications
• Genetic susceptibility

Typical treatment for periodontal disease is scaling and root planing (SRP), which is a non-surgical method of cleaning the surfaces of the teeth and their root which may be exposed due to gum recession. This removes tartar, plaque and bacteria from the gum surrounding the root, and promotes the healthy regeneration of the gum tissue.

Alternatively, the periodontist may perform gum flap surgery, surgically the gum tissue is cut and flapped back to allow deep cleaning around the roots underneath. The gum tissue is then sutured back into place to heal.

How Laser Therapy Works

In periodontal laser therapy, the provider uses a dental laser to access and remove the inflamed gum tissue from around the root of the tooth. When the infected tissue is removed and the root is exposed, the root scaling begins. This involves scraping off the calculus and plaque built up below the gumline and around the root. The dentist then smoothens the root with instruments to remove any rough spots that might attract bacteria and cause future infections. The area between the gum and the root can then regenerate during the healing process.

Benefits

1. There are ample benefits to using lasers for excising diseased gum tissue:
2. No general anesthetic is needed, as is sometimes required for other forms of dental surgery.
3. Lasers can target the diseased areas precisely and accurately.
4. Bleeding, pain and swelling are limited because periodontal laser therapy is less invasive than regular surgery.
5. Recovery and healing times are shorter.

Dental surgeons perform crown lengthening by recontouring gum tissue, and sometimes bone, to expose more of a tooth’s surface for a crown. It’s a common procedure and often takes less than an hour to complete.

Crown lengthening can be necessary if there isn’t enough of the tooth in place to hold the crown on its own. Teeth that are broken or affected by tooth decay may prohibit a crown from firmly attaching.

Crown lengthening reduces gum tissue and shaves down bone when necessary so more of the tooth is above the gum’s surface. A properly fitted crown allows for better oral hygiene and comfort.

Some people seek crown lengthening to alter a “gummy smile,” in which the gums are visible above the teeth when smiling.

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