PERIODONTOLOGY INFORMATION
When do you need to see a Periodontist?
You should consult a Periodontist if you have following complaints-
- Deposits on teeth
- Mobile teeth
- Bleeding gums
- Oral malodour
- Food lodgement
- Sensitivity
- Gum enlargement
- Receding gums
- exposing root
What are the causes of bleeding gum?
What are the causes of bad breath/ oral malodour/ halitosis?
Why teeth become hypersensitive?
How to use desensitizing pastes?
How does desensitizing toothpaste / mouthwash work?
How to maintain health of your gums?
What is scaling/professional cleaning of teeth?
Why it is important to get your teeth cleaned from a dentist even though you brush every day?
Soft deposit which is formed on the tooth surface is called as dental plaque. Dental plaque is formed of microorganisms and various proteins from saliva. If it is not removed time to time the soft deposit gets hardened and then it is called as calculus or tartar. Deposition of plaque and calculus hampers gingival health and can lead to gingivitis. If gingivitis is not treated early it leads to periodontitis in which there is loss of underlying bone.
Common misconceptions regarding professional cleaning of teeth
Myth:Teeth become loose after scaling/ultrasonic cleaning of teeth:
Fact:Machine cleaning never cause mobility in the teeth. The teeth are already mobile but they appear to be firm because of hard deposits on teeth. While cleaning we remove these harmful deposits/calculus/tartar. Hence the patients feel that mobility is increased after cleaning.
Myth: Scaling increases hypersensitivity in teeth:
Fact:As we have seen, in the scaling we remove hard and soft deposits from the tooth surface underlying tooth surface is exposed to stimuli. Teeth become sensitive to hot and cold. But don’t worry! This is transient and temporary.
What is crown lengthening procedure?
When tooth structure is lost and there is no enough height for the placement of crown on tooth we need to increase tooth height by cutting the gingiva which is called as crown lengthening procedure.
What is curettage?
Sometimes harmful deposits are present below gingiva which cannot be removed by scaling only. We need to clean tooth surface below gum line. Curettage is a treatment where we deeply clean the teeth under local anaesthesia. The difference after curettage can be noted on the radiographs as we cannot see the changes below gum line.
What is flap surgery?
When the deposits are present very deep below gum line where instruments cannot reach we need to do the flap surgery to remove all the harmful deposits and infection from periodontal pockets. In periodontal flap surgery we open the gingival flaps and expose underlying tooth-root surface and bone. We close the flaps after thorough cleaning and debridement using stitches.