What steps do you take to preserve your smile? By focusing on your gum health, you protect the critical connective tissue between your teeth and jaw. The same efforts you put towards cleaning bacteria from the surface of your teeth help prevent an infection of the gum tissue that can cause you to lose tissue. Therefore your daily oral hygiene habits do much more than simply protect against cavities. If you experience a symptom of gum disease, you must let us know right away. Caught in its first stage, gingivitis, we can potentially reverse an infection. When the disease reaches your jawbone, it becomes permanent and requires routine care to help keep it from progressing. This means that a preventive attitude towards gum health is more protective than a reactive one. By routinely visiting our practice for cleanings and examinations, we can help you remove plaque and alert you when we suspect a problem with your oral health.
At your Ankeny, IA, dental practice, we offer services to both prevent and treat cases of gum infection. We suggest coming in for a checkup at least twice per year to best serve the health of your smile. At this time, we can see if you need a more specialized form of care to treat problems in your grin, such as periodontal maintenance when you receive a gum infection.
Focusing On The Health Of Your Gums
By attending a dental checkup on a semiannual schedule, you will receive a cleaning and exam that protect your gums from bacterial deposits. We have tools that go beyond your brush and floss at home to remove tartar and let you know areas that require more attention. When we discover an existing infection, we may suggest coming in for more than two visits per year to make sure that we regularly remove bacteria from pockets between your teeth.
Receiving Periodontal Maintenance Therapy
To help treat your infection and reduce your inflammatory response, we can perform a scaling and root planing procedure to access bacteria above and below your gum line. Also known as deep cleaning, this form of periodontal maintenance cleans the roots of your teeth to allow your gums to reattach and heal after becoming sore, bleeding, or inflamed. By attending these sessions as needed, you can help prevent dental loss as you fight your gum infection.
Speak With Your Ankeny, IA, Dental Team About Taking Care Of Your Gums!
Your gum health is vital to helping you maintain a healthy smile and prevent the number one cause of losing teeth. To prevent bacteria from harming your gums, do not skip your regular dental checkups. When you require additional care, we can put you on maintenance therapy to closely monitor your gingival health. For more information about this service or any other that we offer, please call your Ankeny, IA, dentist’s office at 515-207-6182 to schedule a visit today.