
Jul
Routine dental cleaning eliminates plaque and tartar from your teeth to prevent decay and gum disease. If you neglect this aspect of your oral hygiene routine, bacteria could start to breed under your gum line, leading to red, swollen gums, gum tenderness, and sensitivity – early warning signs of gum disease. At this point, your Baltimore, Maryland dentist, Dr. Matthew Wallengren, may recommend scaling and root planing (deep cleaning) to remove plaque and tartar from below the gum line and counter the effects of gum disease.
Scaling and root planing offer a non-surgical means of treating gum disease. The procedure is done under local anesthesia to avoid pain and could take several dental visits to complete. Dr. Wallengren will scrape your teeth to remove plaque and tartar buildup above the gum line. Then, we’ll pull back your gum tissues to clean your tooth roots. We’ll also focus on periodontal pockets that have formed between your gums and teeth, as this is where bacteria can breed. Root planing entails smoothing out rough areas on your tooth roots so plaque has a hard time sticking to your roots again.
Advanced periodontal disease poses a serious threat to your smile. It can cause symptoms like severe gum inflammation, bleeding, receding gums, and loose teeth. Through deep cleaning, Dr. Wallengren can rid your mouth of the infection to prevent further damage to your gums and teeth. Otherwise, periodontal disease could lead to extensive tooth loss. Deep cleaning can be very beneficial to people suffering from gum disease. It helps:
Scaling and root planing can remove gum disease’s pain and discomfort (gum tenderness, sensitivity, swelling, etc.) so you can eat comfortably again. By ridding your mouth of harmful bacteria buildup, Dr. Wallengren can keep the infection from spreading and causing further damage. Depending on the state of your teeth, you may need more than one deep cleaning session to keep your mouth free of bacterial infection so your gums have a chance to heal.
If periodontal disease isn’t stopped, the infection will continue to spread throughout your mouth, causing irreparable damage to your gums and teeth. Over time, periodontal disease will destroy the bone structure of your teeth, causing your teeth to come loose and fall out. Saving your teeth is one of the primary goals of deep cleaning.
It’s no secret that oral health is connected to general health. If not curtailed, periodontal disease can put your medical health at risk. The infection can enter your bloodstream and infect vital organs like your heart, brain, liver and kidneys. Periodontal disease has been linked to health issues like heart disease, diabetes, dementia, stroke, immune deficiency, and other conditions.
To schedule a deep cleaning gum disease treatment consultation, contact Matthew Wallengren, DDS, in Baltimore, MD, at (410) 431-1868.