Excellent oral hygiene is important in maintaining the longevity of your teeth, but also important to your overall health. Increasingly, evidence is linking gum disease, or periodontitis, with diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Good home care by the patient is an important foundation for achieving good oral hygiene, however even the most diligent brushers and flossers benefit from professional cleanings.

Bacteria in your mouth thrive off the debris from your food and produce dental plaque. Dental plaque serves as fortress for these harmful bacteria, and it is from within this plaque that they can cause cavities and can begin to infect deeper into the gum tissue around your teeth. While daily brushing largely removes plaque, little bits that get left behind pick up calcium from your saliva and forms calculus, or tartar. This tartar is hard and is not easily removed without professional cleanings. These bacteria within the plaque and tartar then produce the inflammation that leads to gingivitis, and eventually periodontitis (gum disease).

Scaling (Teeth cleaning)

The best way to prevent gum disease is regular teeth cleanings from a hygienist. The hygienists at Northside dental are extremely knowledgeable and skilled, and they will provide you with a comfortable dental cleaning that will leave your mouth feeling refreshed.

Periodontal Therapy

Occasionally a “deep cleaning” may be required for patients with gum disease. This means tartar has collected deeper below the gums and the hygienist must actively remove it from the root surface. Often, in such cases, the cleaning broken into halves (left and right) is accompanied by local anesthesia (freezing) for the patient’s comfort.