Periodontal Procedures

Proactive periodontal procedures in Gambrills and Crofton, MD: For the long, healthy life of your smile

Your gums support and protect your teeth. So, we at Bingham-Lester Dentistry encourage good gum health from the start of our relationship with you and your family members. Routine monitoring of your gums and professional oral hygiene services by Dr. Vickii Bingham-Lester help to keep your gum tissue healthy. They also help patients in Gambrills, Crofton, and Annapolis, MD (the areas that we serve) avoid the need for more invasive or extensive periodontal procedures.

Routine care

The build-up of sticky, bacterial plaque can not only erode at the teeth. But it can also inflame and damage the periodontium or supportive gummy tissue. From the very first visit to our office onward, we work with you to instill excellent oral care habits. Each visit, scheduled at least every six months, starts with a professional cleaning by one of our friendly and skilled dental hygienists. With the right dental instruments, we can remove even hardened plaque (or tartar) from hard-to-reach or hidden areas. Once tartar is present, it cannot be removed with a toothbrush. During each of these visits, Dr. Bingham-Lester will also examine your teeth, gums, and other oral structures for even the most subtle signs of decay or gum disease (periodontal disease).

We can determine the health of your gums by using a specialized instrument. We gently use this tool to measure the space between the gums and the teeth. What we find from this measurement tells us a lot about the severity of the periodontal disease that may be present in your mouth. Generally, the following guidelines apply when measuring these periodontal pockets:

• One to three millimeters = healthy attachment between the gums and the teeth
• Four millimeters = Gingivitis or early-stage periodontal disease is present
• Five, six, or seven millimeters = Serious gum disease

If we detect gingival inflammation and more severe periodontal disease, we must eradicate the plaque and tartar in the periodontal pockets. Sometimes, the approach requires a course of antibiotics. These medications help to safely fight infection. Additionally, instead of visiting us every six months, we will schedule more frequent appointments. During checkups at three- to four-month intervals, we will monitor the health of your gums, and make any adjustments to treatment as needed. It is important for us to determine that you are responding to products and techniques to treat the disease. So, we can retain bone. As periodontitis works its way through the supportive tissues, the gums continue to pull away from the teeth. You may notice new spacing issues, or that your teeth feel loose. In fact, along with tooth decay, periodontal disease is the leading cause of tooth loss. Once the bone is lost, it has gone for good. Earlier-stage periodontal disease can be treated effectively and noninvasively. Damage can even be reversed.

Dental scaling and root planing

This periodontal procedure is like a deep clean for your gums and teeth. It is more extensive than a standard cleaning; however, it is still a nonsurgical treatment. By removing hardened plaque and bacteria from underneath the gums (scaling) and smoothing out the root surfaces to prevent future plaque build-up (planing), we encourage healthy healing and reattachment. The need for surgical periodontal treatment is also avoided.

At Bingham-Lester Dentistry, we emphasize prevention and conservative treatments. Contact us to schedule an appointment before any signs of trouble teeth or trouble gums arise.