General and Cosmetic Dental Procedures in Bossier City, LA

Procedures For Periodontal Disease

Gum disease is caused by a sticky film of bacteria called plaque. The bacteria in plaque can cause your gums to become inflamed and pull away from your teeth, forming spaces that are called pockets. When bacteria and tartar accumulate around and under the gums, the tissues that support your teeth may also be affected. If left untreated, periodontal disease can develop, which may lead to bone and tooth loss. 

Prophylaxis

This type of cleaning is necessary when the early signs of periodontal disease are causing swelling or bleeding of your gums. Using a dental scaler, the hygienist will first scrape away the tartar. Once the tartar is removed, the hygienist will then smooth the tooth’s roots. This allows the gum to seal to the tooth. Scaling and root planing is a wake-up call for dental hygiene. If you find yourself in the dentist’s chair getting a scaling and root planing, you may need to make some changes in how you care for your teeth. 

Before the scaling process, your dentist or hygienist will numb your gums and tooth roots with a local anesthetic. They will then use specialized tools to remove the hardened deposits of plaque and tartar from the teeth both above and below the gumline, all the way down to the bottom of the pocket. 

Your dental hygienist will use an ultrasonic device that combines streams of water and ultrasonic vibrations to loosen tartar deposits. Once the deposits are loosened, the hygienist uses a handheld scaler to remove to remove debris and clean below the gumline. The whole dental debridement procedure takes approximately 45 minutes to an hour and does not replace a regular dental cleaning. 

At your follow-up visit, your dentist will check the healing of your gums and pocket depth. If you gum tissue looks good and remains stable, you may not need any further treatment. Maintaining a consistent oral health routine of twice-daily brushing and flossing should keep your gums pink and healthy. 

In addition to routine dental cleanings, your dentist may also recommend that you come in for periodontal maintenance visits. At these appointments your dentist will clean your teeth, carefully examine your gum tissue, measure pocket depths and check gum recession.

Periodontal scaling and root planning can play a critical role in treating and preventing periodontal disease.