Gum Disease Treatment Rapid City
Protecting Your Smile from the Most Common Dental Disease
At our office, we will assess your gums prior to completing any cleaning treatments. It is very difficult for us to know the health of your gums until we have had an opportunity to see you and take proper records. After the initial screening, during your comprehensive evaluation, we will discuss our findings with you. We offer a wide array of periodontal treatments to those in need. At our office, we will help you achieve your periodontal goals. We are proud to have some of the best hygiene staff the area has to offer! Call us today to schedule an appointment for periodontal treatment in Rapid City.
Why Choose Anderson Dental for Gum Disease Treatment?
- Cleanings from Board-Certified Dental Hygienists
- Family-Owned & Operated Dental Office Since 1988
- Comprehensive Dental Care for All Ages in One Place
Full Gingival Scale
The gingival scale procedure typically happens when people have poor hygiene or have been away from the dentist for too long. Clinical findings include inflamed, red gingival tissue, light to moderate calculus (tartar), and no bone loss (the height of bone supporting the tooth). Generally, we will see you back one to three months later for a regular cleaning before moving you to a regular six-month cleaning interval.
Full-Mouth Debridement
Debridements are performed when we are unable to assess the extent of your periodontal disease. When a patient has heavy calculus or tartar build-up, sometimes proper probing measurements cannot be taken until the majority of build-up from calculus has been removed. One month after a full mouth debridement, probing will be completed, and we will assess whether you need scaling and root planing or a regular hygiene recall. The biggest indication of a need for scaling and root planing instead of a regular cleaning is the detection of bone loss and bleeding.
Scaling Root Planing
Root planing is performed when the area below the gums needs to be cleaned. Root planing will be recommended if you have bone loss with active gum inflammation as well as bleeding. Scaling and root planing is usually recommended to patients with probing depths that exceed 4-5mm. Commonly, local anesthetic is used during this procedure to help you remain comfortable.
Periodontal Maintenance
Maintenance is essential for stopping the progression of periodontal (gum) disease following scaling and root planing. There are many studies out there that suggest the bacteria that cause periodontal disease takes about three months to accumulate below the gumline - where toothbrushes are not as effective. This is why it is so important after receiving scaling and root planing to follow through with periodontal maintenance. Failure to do this will cause periodontal disease progression.
Regular dental hygiene cleanings generally take an hour to complete; time may be extended if a more extensive cleaning is required. All of our cleanings are completed by board-certified dental hygienists.