Home Prevention of Gum Disease
In addition to brushing and flossing, other home methods to remove the offending plaque are water piks, dental tape, tooth picks, mouthwashes, dental gum, and ultra-sonic toothbrushes.
Professional Cleaning and Periodontal Exam
Regular visits to the dentist office bring you to the dental hygienist, who is able to remove much more plaque and calculus than you can at home. The hygienist also checks your gums to see if they are pulling away from your teeth and forming deeper and deeper “pockets” that attract still more build-up of plaque and calculus. The hygienist uses a periodontal probe to measure the depth of pockets and compare the measurements to previous measurements to see if the pockets are getting deeper. If periodontal disease has already progressed, digital X-rays show any loss of bone.
Scaling
This is the familiar scraping done by a dental hygienist to remove plaque and calculus from the surface of your teeth, especially the area below the gum line. Traditionally, this has been done with a metal dental instrument, by hand. This may be done as a preventative procedure or part of a treatment plan.
Ultrasonic Scaler
At Tribeca Dental Clinic, scaling is also done with an ultrasonic scaler, which uses high frequency sound vibration to break down bacteria cell walls, which renders them no longer sticky, so the plaque may be washed away.
How to Begin
At Tribeca Dental Care, we believe that, no matter what condition your teeth and gums are in, right now is the best time to begin. An exam, x-rays and pictures of your mouth can tell us everything we need to know to come up with a step-by-step plan.