Preventive dental care is meant to help you avoid common oral health issues like gum disease, or to help you prevent the more serious consequences that they could cause. For example, in most general cases, sticking to a schedule of regular checkups and cleanings can help you prevent the formation of cavities or gum disease by controlling the buildup of plaque and tartar. However, at our East El Paso, TX, dental office, we may also recommend periodontal cleaning to help prevent the progression of gum disease. If plaque or tartar has developed underneath your gums, then perio cleaning may be the only way to remove them before gum disease becomes a significant threat.
The risks of gingivitis
Gingivitis is the earliest phase of gum disease, and as such, it often goes unnoticed until it grows more severe. The phase begins when harmful oral bacteria are able to settle on your teeth roots underneath your gums, leading to infection that causes your gums to separate from your teeth. Once gingivitis develops, it will continue to cause increasingly worse damage to your gum tissues and periodontal ligaments. If left untreated, this could lead to the loss of one or more teeth, or the need to extract them because the gums and jawbone structure around their roots have eroded too much.
The point of deep cleaning
Periodontal, or deep, cleaning is an advanced form of dental cleaning that focuses on removing plaque and tartar from your teeth roots, instead of their crowns (top portions). During routine cleaning, we can comfortably and successfully clean every visible surface of your teeth above the gum line, removing plaque before it has a chance to work its way under your gums. However, during periodontal cleaning, we’ll have to carefully expose your teeth roots to clean them underneath your gums and remove the bacteria that infect them. This helps stop gum disease if it has already developed, or prevent it from forming if the procedure is performed early enough.
Preventing gum disease
In addition to undergoing periodontal cleaning, preventing gum disease from negatively impacting your oral health also requires consistently good hygiene and preventive care practices. For example, if you’re diligent about brushing your teeth twice and flossing at least once every day, then you’ll have a much lower risk of oral bacteria having a chance to settle underneath your gums. If you maintain a schedule of regular dental cleanings, we’ll have a better chance of removing tartar before it gingivitis forms, or of detecting your heightened risks for it early enough to prevent it.
Learn more about perio cleaning
Being at-risk for gingivitis is a big deal, which is why periodontal cleaning (scaling and root planing) may be an important part of protecting your smile. For more information, schedule a consultation by calling Sunny Smiles in East El Paso, TX, today at 915-849-9000! We also have offices in West and Northeast El Paso, and we happily serve patients from Chaparral, Canutillo, Vinton, and all surrounding communities.