Hygiene
While at our office, we make sure that you receive the highest level of service and ensure that our dental work is of the highest quality. To ensure that you maintain great oral health, this level of quality needs to extend into your personal oral hygiene routine. We can help you establish a dental hygiene routine that will keep your teeth healthy and white. If you have any questions about your current hygiene plan please ask us.
Your teeth are not the only important part of your mouth. Your gums are essential to oral hygiene as well. We can provide periodontal cleanings and treatment, or refer you to one of our recommended specialists.
Prophy/Cleaning - A professional dental cleaning, prophylaxis is purely a preventive measure. Performed twice per year to remove dental plaque and other irritants from the teeth and gums. This simple procedure is a major part of an oral health care regimen needed to prevent cavities, gum disease and tooth loss brought on by dental disease.
(This cleaning will take about 40min- 1 hour)
Full Mouth Debridement - A procedure used to remove extensive plaque and tartar buildup, something that often happens when you haven't had regular teeth cleanings in a while. In many cases, buildup doesn't accumulate just on your teeth it can affect the areas below the gum line, too. Because of these thick deposits, it's difficult for Dr. Haynes to gauge accurately whether cavities, gum disease or other problems are present and to what degree. A regular dental cleaning is great for removing minimal deposits but not aggressive enough to remove years and years of buildup. This cleaning will require a follow-up appointment in 4-6 weeks to re-evaluate the condition of your gums.
(This cleaning will take about 1 hour. Follow-up cleaning will take about 40min)
Scaling and Root Plaining - A straightforward procedure like scaling can reduce the effects of gum/periodontal disease and restore gums to a healthy state. Without proper treatment, gum disease can progress literally to the point of no return!
Remember: Once gum tissue and bone is lost, it doesn't grow back. Like cavities, gum disease is caused by a buildup of dental plaque bacteria. Over time, dental plaque hardens beneath the gum line, forming "pockets" between the teeth and gums. The larger these pockets grow the worse gum disease gets. Only a dentist or dental hygienist can remove the dental calculus that has accumulated in the pockets of your gums.
A non-surgical approach known as scaling is the first in a series of periodontal procedures used for gum disease treatment. During tooth scaling, an instrument called an ultrasonic scaler, is used to remove dental plaque and dental calculus from beneath the gums. Once the plaque and calculus have been removed, the area that has been scaled leaves a jagged appearance. Planing is the procedure used to smooth the tooth's root. Root planing helps gums heal; it’s easier for gums to reattach themselves to a smoother root. The smooth surface also helps keep future dental plaque from sticking the tooth's root.
(This cleaning is usually completed in one (180 min) or two (90 min) visits. A follow-up appointment will also be scheduled 6 weeks from completion of periodontal therapy to check healing gums.)
Perio Maintenance - Once scaling and root planing is complete, preventative care is necessary to keep gums healthy. Although gum disease can never be cured, proper oral hygiene can curb the problems that started it in the first place. This cleaning is performed 3-4 times per year and is focused on maintaining and improving pocket depths by removing dental plaque and other irritants from the teeth and below the gums. (This cleaning will take about 1 hour)