TREATING GUM DISEASE: ROOT PLANE AND SCALING

Your dentist or hygienist may be able to treat periodontitis with techniques known as deep scaling and root planing. These are similar to the scraping away of calculus done in a routine cleaning, except that finer instruments are inserted farther down the side of the tooth beneath the gum marginif possible, to the infection at the base of the pocket. A single treatment can sharply reduce bacterial levels in the pocket. In addition, scaling scrapes away the diseased gum tissue adjacent to the tooth. Together with planing the root surface, sealing promotes the growth of healthy gum tissue that can often reattach to the tooth. Scaling has long been used in periodontal therapy, both by itself and in preparation for gum surgery. Studies have shown that deep scaling itself can achieve clinical improvement often equal to surgery. These studies have established deep scaling as the preferred procedure for mild to moderated periodontitis. Even some cases of severe periodontitis-routinely treated surgically in the pastmay respond quite well to deep scaling alone, when accompanied by effective personal oral hygiene. In the 10 to 15 percent of periodontitis cases that do reach the severe stage, dentist in general practice often refer patients to periodontists, who have trained for at least two years beyond dental school to specialize in treating periodontal disease. People often associate periodontists with periodontal surgery. Surgery, periodontists say, is necessary to eliminate pockets that are too deep or too convoluted for a scaler to reach the infection. Surgery is also called for, they say, when the infection involves the area between the roots of multirooted teeth.

POSTOPERATIVE INSTURCTIONS FOR THE ROOT PLANE PATIENT

To promote healing of the gingival tissue after your root planing, we ask that you: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Limit your smoking for the first 24 hours. Eat and drink, if possible, on the opposite side of the mouth for the first 24 hours. Avoid eating hot, spicy, or crunchy foods (i.e. popcorn, fritos, chips, etc.) for the first 24 hours. Rinse with a warm saline solution for two (2) days, three (3) times a day. Saline solution is made up of 1 tsp salt to 8 oz of warm water. For optimum results of this treatment, you need to continue a daily regimen of home care from now on. Otherwise you will have the same condition return.