Dental Hygiene

Dental Checkups & Cleanings

Every patient should visit the dental office regularly for professional cleanings. These appointments are crucial to maintaining oral health and preserving any dental restoration the patient might have.

The American Dental Association advises an average patient to have dental cleanings at least every six months. In many cases, these appointments should be even more frequent than that. That’s why you should ask your dentist to evaluate your smile and suggest how often you need professional cleanings. Dr. Kenfield and her experienced team may recommend you have cleanings every 3 or 4 months to prevent dental problems like decay and periodontal disease.

What can I expect during my dental cleaning appointment?

During a cleaning visit, the dental hygienist will first check the patient’s gums through an exam known as periodontal probing depths. With this information, the dentist can determine whether the patient has gum disease or not. In patients with no infection, the hygienist will perform a preventive cleaning, also known as prophylaxis or “prophy”. For this cleaning procedure, the professional will use ultrasonic instruments to remove any plaque and tartar build-up from the surface of the teeth. Then, teeth are polished with high-performance brushes to remove any remaining staining. Finally, the hygienist will floss and ask the patient to rinse with a fluoride mouthwash. In some cases, the dentist will also apply fluoride to help prevent potential decay. 

The cleaning procedure is different for those patients with gum disease. In this case, a prophylactic cleaning won’t be enough to heal the gums and remove the tatar below the gumline. To do so, the dentist will recommend additional periodontal therapy, possibly including scaling and root planing. This treatment is more extensive, and it’s known as “deep cleaning.”

What is Gingivitis?

Gingivitis is known as the inflammation of the gums. It represents the earliest stage of periodontal disease. If left untreated, it can progress and cause further damage to the bone tissue that anchors teeth.

Every patient who notices any bleeding when brushing or flossing their teeth should schedule an appointment to check their gums. During the visit, Dr. Kenfield will evaluate and suggest treatment if she detects any sign of Gingivitis. It is essential to know that this condition is treatable and reversible when caught in its early stages.

How is Gingivitis treated?

Gingivitis can result from many factors but is typically caused by dental plaque build-up along the gum line. This plaque leads to the inflammation of the gums, which causes bleeding.

The most common approach to clearing the inflammation is with professional cleanings and daily home care (brushing and flossing with a proper technique).

Sometimes that approach is not enough, and the dentist needs to use other resources like dental laser and antimicrobial rinses to help eliminate all the bacteria and reduce the inflammation.

It is crucial to treat this disease in its early stages. Untreated Gingivitis is likely to progress to periodontal disease, a condition that causes irreversible damage to the periodontal tissues.

What are the most common signs of Gingivitis?

The primary and most frequent sign of Gingivitis is bleeding gums. Most patients see this bleeding while brushing or flossing, but it can also happen spontaneously. Another common symptom is persistent bad breath or halitosis (breath doesn’t stay fresh for too long after brushing).

If you notice any bleeding, recurrent bad breath, or if your gums look swollen and tender, make an appointment at Kenfield Dental Group. Dr. Kenfield will evaluate your oral health and suggest proper treatment.

Periodontal Therapy: scaling and root planing

When a patient is diagnosed with periodontal disease, the chosen course of treatment is a deep-cleaning procedure called scaling and root planing (SRP). This treatment cleans and polishes the roots of the teeth to remove dental plaque and fixed tartar deposits. SRP requires two or more appointments. Sometimes the areas will need to be numbed to make the procedure more comfortable for the patient.

In some cases, the dentist will also need to use a dental laser and further resources like antibiotic therapy or medical rinses to eradicate bacteria from the roots and surrounding gum tissue.

How to treat late-stage periodontal disease?

The later stages of periodontal disease are more difficult to control. By then, a significant amount of bone tissue is lost around the root of the tooth. Eventually, if the disease keeps progressing, the only viable alternative is to extract the tooth and replace it with a dental bridge or an implant.

One of the most frequent causes of tooth loss is periodontal disease. At Kenfield Dental Group, we understand the importance of gum disease because:

We encourage our patients to visit our dental office regularly and develop healthy home care habits to control the disease in its earlier stages, avoiding potential significant problems.