Staying on top of your oral health requires taking care of all of your oral structures. This means that when you brush and floss your teeth each morning, you are also protecting your gums when removing infectious plaque. The same bacteria that feed on sugars and starch that create cavities can threaten your gingival health when not cleaned routinely. If you notice symptoms of an infection such as soreness, consistent bleeding, or chronic bad breath, please reach out to your dentist right away. When caught in its first stage, gingivitis, we can reverse your gum disease. If you wait too long, the disease risks reaching your jawbone where it becomes permanent. When this happens, you must attend regular periodontal maintenance sessions to prevent the infection from destroying connective tissue.
At your Ankeny, IA, dental practice, we encourage a preventive attitude toward taking care of your smile. When you visit us twice per year, we can perform a professional review of your at-home hygienic efforts. If we discover issues with tooth decay or gum disease, we can begin treatment right away to stop their progression. By scheduling care every six months instead of waiting for a symptom to appear, you increase your chances of detecting your health problem when it is far more manageable.
Attending Your Cleaning And Exam
Your dental checkup forms the main contact point between you and our team. These regular meetings allow us to create a dental record that can track any sudden changes in your smile. While your daily brushing and flossing form the basis for protecting against gum infection, we provide professional cleaning to remove bacterial deposits you cannot handle on your own. By examining your gingival tissues, we can tell right away when infection is present and start your treatment to get it under control.
When You Need Periodontal Maintenance
To clear bacteria that contribute to your gum disease, we can perform a scaling and root planing procedure that lifts your gums to clean the roots of your teeth. To increase your comfort during treatment, we apply a local anesthetic that numbs any pain. After your deep cleaning, your gums reattach to your teeth as your inflammation subsides and your bad breath goes away. If you have a more advanced form of infection, we may require performing these treatments more frequently.
Talk To Your Ankeny, IA, Dental Team About Treatment For Gum Disease
Time is of utmost importance when fighting gum disease! If you notice any symptoms, we may be able to reverse an infection if caught early enough. If you would like to find out more about this or any other service we offer, please call your Ankeny, IA, dentist’s office at 515-207-6182 to schedule a visit today.
