Dental Cleaning
Regular dental cleanings are very important for good oral health. On your first visit with Dr. Drew you’ll receive a comprehensive oral examination and x-rays to help our doctor accurately assess your dental health and plan your personal treatment options. The type of cleaning you need and how often you need cleanings is determined by your periodontal health and should not be limited by your insurance coverage.
Healthy mouth cleaning This procedure is only performed on patients whose six-point probing and x-rays identify a healthy periodontal condition. These cleanings are typically scheduled every six months and usually include cleaning, polishing, professional application of fluoride and hygiene instructions.
Full mouth debridement A full mouth debridement is performed when excessive plaque and calculus build up prevents Dr. Drew from being able to perform a comprehensive oral examination. After this procedure, your clinician will be able to assess your periodontal condition and determine whether a healthy mouth cleaning or scaling and root planning is required.
Scaling & root planning Scaling and root planning is a non-surgical approach to treating periodontal disease by removing plaque and calculus beneath the gum line down to the bottom of the periodontal pocket. The hygienist will smooth the tooth’s root surfaces, allowing the gum tissue to heal and making it more difficult for plaque to reaccumulate along the roots. This procedure may also include irrigation, localized antibiotics and hygiene instructions. Scaling and root planning may be performed in phases and require multiple visits.
Periodontal maintenance This type of cleaning is performed at two, three or four-month intervals following the completion of scaling and root planning visits. These cleanings help manage periodontal disease and may include site-specific scaling and root planning, irrigation, localized antibiotics, fluoride application, polishing and hygiene instructions. Patients with periodontal disease will always require a periodontal maintenance cleaning to control disease progression.
