More Care = Less Discomfort + Better Health

As a dentist I am here to help patients wherever they are at with their dental health. We try not to lecture at you about what you ate or when you flossed last. We just take care of you. The condition of your mouth determines what kind of cleaning you may need. If you know someone who hasn't been to the dentist in a while, this might be a good guide to pass on to them. I want to help everyone have a happy smile.

"I haven't had my teeth cleaned in awhile, why can't I just get a "regular" cleaning?"
There are different types of "tooth cleaning" treatments that we do depending on each patient's individual needs. If you haven't done your part or if you haven't been to the dentist in a long time we can help things go smoothly and get your mouth back into shape using various levels of cleaning.

Good Gum Health – Brushes and Flosses at Home
For someone who has good tooth and gum health, is doing their part at home with regular brushing and flossing, and comes in for regular checkups, typically the procedure that is done is called a prophylaxis, what people think of as a "regular" cleaning. We remove any tartar, stain, and plaque buildup, polish, and floss the teeth. This type of cleaning is usually done every 6 months to maintain good oral health.

Moderate Oral Health – Infrequent Home Care and Dentist Visits.
People that haven't been in to a dentist for a while or who might not be the most religious about their brushing and flossing at home may have heavier buildup of tartar, stain, and plaque and need a more in depth cleaning. If there are no signs of severe gum disease we may perform what is called a debridement cleaning. We will go through and remove the majority of the heavy buildup to allow the gum tissues to start healing. To keep you comfortable, we do not polish at this appointment because it can be very irritating to the gum tissues. About a month later we would have you come back for a prophylaxis (regular cleaning) where we will go through and finish and refine any areas that still have buildup now that the gums have gotten into a healthier state, and we will typically polish at this appointment.

Um, IF it has been a REALLY REALLY LONG TIME since you visited the dentist . . .
For patients that show signs of worsening gum disease (like bleeding, deep measurements around the teeth, loosening teeth, visible loss of supporting bone on x-rays) we may need to perform periodontal scaling and root planing. This is usually called "deep cleaning" because we are cleaning further below the gumline to remove the gum disease causing heavy buildup of tartar, plaque, and bacteria. We usually perform this in a series of appointments to be able to go over each section of the mouth thoroughly and use anesthetic to minimize any discomfort. We don't want you to be in pain. We use an antibacterial rinse below the gumline to help kill the bacteria and aid in healing. We do not polish at these deep cleaning appointments to avoid further irritating the gum tissues. Once this series of "deep cleanings" is complete, we have you come back about a month later for a re-evaluation of the gum tissues and polishing. At that time we determine how often we want to see the patient to maintain their gum health. Gum disease cannot be cured but it can be controlled and to do so we need to see these patients more often for follow-up cleanings. These follow-up cleanings are called periodontal maintenance cleanings and are often scheduled every three to four months rather than every six months for someone that does not have gum disease problems.

My friend is afraid to go to the dentist.
Tell them 'Don't worry.' We make it fun here at Peterson Family Dentistry. We crank up the radio or play a TV show if that helps. We offer pain relievers and anesthesia if appropriate to make the visit more comfortable. We want to help you be healthy not make you uncomfortable. We aim to give you more care, teach you how to care for your teeth and gums to give you better health.