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Phone: 989-773-3560

900 E Bellows St, Mt Pleasant, MI 48858


 

Blog

Teaching Plaque Who’s the Boss

Posted in Oral Health, Root Canal | March 15, 2017

cleanings and examsDr. Egger doesn’t like to take any monkey business from dental plaque. He beats up on it much like Gordie Howe used to beat up on losers from the Rangers. One of the ways he handles plaque is with root scaling and planing.

Who needs root scaling and planing?

When you come into our office for your twice-yearly cleanings and exams, those involve scaling your teeth. You may not know that term, but that’s what happens when the hygienist takes the dental pick and removes plaque and tartar. These cleanings usually don’t go below the gumline.

But if you have been doing a less-than-stellar job with your home hygiene or have missed a couple cleanings/exams with us, that plaque may have started to sneak its way under your gums. This is the start of the periodontal (gum) disease. If left alone, that plaque under your gums will start to wreak havoc.

That’s when Dr. Egger needs to do a little root scaling and root planing.

What’s healthy and not?

Healthy gum tissue fits tightly around each tooth. But if plaque has developed under your gums, the tissues that support your teeth will begin to pull away from the teeth, creating pockets where bacteria can have a party. You’ll know this has happened because your breath will reek, your gums will bleed easily, and you’ll be able to see pockets where the gums are pulling away from the plaque on your teeth.

What are root scaling and root planing?

Now it’s time for Dr. Egger to teach the plaque who’s the boss. Root scaling is first. You’ll probably be given some local anesthetic to alleviate any discomfort. Then Dr. Egger uses dental picks to go below the gumline and break off any plaque, bacterial toxins, and tartar deposits from your teeth and the root surfaces.

After all of that junk is removed, next up is root planing. For this, Dr. Egger smoothes all the rough areas on the surface of your tooth roots. Bacteria, plaque, and tartar don’t like smooth surfaces much, so root planing helps keep the bad stuff off, and it allows your gums to heal and reattach themselves more firmly to your roots.

Home hygiene is key

Of course, all of this could have been prevented had you been better about your home hygiene, and had you kept your twice-yearly cleanings/exams with us.

Is it time to book your next appointment? Call Dr. Egger at 989-773-3560.


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