We should all be going for our twice a year, general teeth cleanings for basic oral health but in some cases a deeper, more intense cleaning is needed. A periodontal cleaning, also known as scaling and root planing, is a thorough cleaning of the root surface below the gum line. This deep cleaning removes plaque, toxins, tartar, and stains, all of which can cause inflammation to the gum tissue and surrounding bone. This procedure is much more intense than a routine cleaning and is very effective in preventing any further periodontal disease. With gum disease, pockets form, deeper than usual, so this kind of scaling and root planing would be recommended by our
Potsdam General Dentist at Zysik Dental.
Potsdam Dental Office
Our dentists at Zysik Dental will explain to you that scaling and root planing greatly reduces inflammation of the gums, minimizes the depths of the pockets and removes the bacteria present in these pockets. With that research in mind, scaling and root planing is usually the first type of treatment recommended by Dr. Edmund Zysik Jr. and Dr. Jonathan Zysik, for treating periodontitis. Antibiotics may also be used, locally or in pill form, administered into the pockets. These antibiotics fight infections caused by bacteria and although necessary, our
Potsdam general dentists will advise you that each time you take an antibiotic you increase your chance of developing a resistance to the drug, so it’s important to take only when necessary. With or without antibiotics, it’s important to remember that there are limitations to the extent to which scaling and root planing can control periodontal disease so proper dental hygiene and early detection is important.
When scaling and root planing alone cannot control the disease, our
Potsdam General Dentist will recommend more advanced periodontal procedures. Our dental specialists at Zysik Dental use state-of-the-art equipment to diagnose how intense the periodontal cleaning needs to be. This deep cleansing procedure may be performed using a number of dental tools, including ultrasonic and hand instruments, such as periodontal scalers and curettes, and sometimes a local anesthetic will be used. As a rule, proper flossing and brushing should be a part of your everyday routine in order to prevent periodontal disease.
Potsdam Periodontal Therapy
67 East Orvis Street
Massena, New York 13662
315-842-4071
