Shine up my chompers!  When we think of a dental cleaning, your teeth are what comes to mind. Although, that is not the true purpose of the cleaning.  The real reason is to minimize calcified plaque, aka “tartar”, from building up on your teeth.  The problem with tartar is that it functions as a bacteria hotel.  The bigger the hotel, the bigger the bacteria party.  Your gums aren’t a fan of this party.  So they get mad (inflamed), puff up in anger (swollen), and bleed.  This is called Gingivitis.

If Gingivitis goes unabated for a while, it eventually leads to Gum Disease.  Look at the word “disease” carefully:  it’s actually “dis-ease”.  Which means an imbalance.  Specifically, in the microbiome of the periodontium (the area between your teeth, gums, and jawbone).  During your comprehensive exam, this area will be evaluated to determine if you have any issues.  If not, great!  We will do a regular cleaning at that time.  If you do, no worries, I will educate you on the etiology and treatment of the issues.

I am committed to staying far above the standard of care for my patients.  That’s why I use the Waterlase dental laser for the treatment of gum diseases.  It’s the only way of definitively removing the offending organisms that created your microbiome’s imbalance.

Please watch the video below on gingivitis and gum disease.