Our periodontal services include:

• Scaling and Root Planing
• Prophylaxis cleanings
• Open flap debridement
• Osseous surgery
• Periodontal maintenance
• PerioChip® placements

Scaling and Root Planing

Scaling and root planing are types of non-surgical procedures implemented in order to treat gum disease before it can progress and cause further oral damage. The procedures involve removing all of the plaque and tartar accumulation that are found in between teeth, on the gums and on the roots. It may involve just a few teeth or may need to be implemented on all of the teeth.

The open flap debridement

The open flap debridement (also referred to as pocket reduction surgery) procedure is a surgical periodontal treatment where the gums are cut to increase accessibility to the teeth. When pockets begin to develop between the teeth and the gums they become difficult to clean and inhibit your dentist’s ability to treat your periodontal disorder. These gum pockets are susceptible to plaque and tartar accumulation and surgery is required to remove these hazardous materials before they cause further damage. Certain periodontal treatments can only be implemented with complete access to the gums. For example, before a scaling and root planing procedure, an open flap debridement is needed to increase access. During the procedure the developed pockets in the gums are reduced, this isolates where the plaque and bacteria can move to. The gum tissue is then lifted or folded away from the tooth and surrounding bone and the diseased root surfaces are removed using the scaling and root planing procedure. Following the procedure the tissues are secured using stitches.

Osseous surgery

Periodontal maintenance is a cleaning procedure performed to thoroughly clean the teeth. Maintenance is an important dental treatment for halting the progression of periodontal disease. Periodontal disease and gingivitis occur when bacteria from plaque colonize on the gingival (gum) tissue, either above or below the gum line. These bacterial colonies cause serious inflammation and irritation which in turn produce a chronic inflammatory response in the body. As a result, the body begins to systematically destroy gum and bone tissue, making the teeth shift, become unstable, or completely fall out. The pockets between the gums and teeth become deeper and house more bacteria which may travel via the bloodstream and infect other parts of the body.

PerioChip® placements

PerioChip® is an effective antimicrobial treatment that comes in chip form. This micro-dissolving chip is placed inside infected periodontal pockets just after the dental professional finishes the scaling and root planing (SRP) procedure. PerioChip ® has been proven to be more effective than using SRP alone. Arestin ® also significantly reduced the size of periodontal pockets compared to SRP alone.