Periodontal Hygiene Services | Preventive Maintenance Exams
Hygiene and Preventive Maintenance Visits Protect Your Oral Health
Keeping your teeth for a lifetime is a goal everyone should have. Therefore, periodontal hygiene treatments in addition to frequent brushing and flossing are essential for anyone who has had gum disease, Farber Centers Long Island periodontal clinics in Medford and Hauppauge offer a complete range of oral hygiene and preventative treatments including the latest laser therapies. Also, because patient education is a vital part of our mission to save teeth, your visit with us always will include information about how to best care for your teeth and gums at home. Farber Center practices holistic dentistry and is concerned equally with your oral and whole-body health.
Supportive Periodontal Therapy
Supportive periodontal therapy also referred to as maintenance therapy, is the key to maintaining your oral health after gum surgery or related treatments.
Its goal is to help avoid the reoccurrence of periodontal disease and the underlying causes and to continue hygienic and preventative services that keep your teeth and gums disease free.
A periodontal maintenance visit at Farber Center can include:
- A review of your latest medical and dental history
- An assessment of your periodontal pockets; deeper pockets are associated with gum disease
- Removal of bacterial plaque and tartar from above and below the gum line
- An oral cancer screening of the inner and outer oral tissues
- Evaluation of your teeth and supporting bone with digital x-rays
- Fluoride treatment to prevent root decay and sensitivity
- Oral hygiene instruction to help you maintain healthy teeth and gums
It is impossible to overstate the long-term importance of routine visits for a dental cleaning and periodontal evaluation. Being proactive and making sure to schedule and keep appointments is a wise long-term move toward keeping your teeth and maintaining your health.
Your smile, self-confidence, and fresh breath all depend on it, and your heart and other major systems of the body benefit from better oral health.
Deep Periodontal Cleaning
Scaling and root planing, also known as deep periodontal cleaning, removes plaque and tartar from below your gum line. After the procedure, your mouth will feel better, you’ll have fresher breath, and your gums will be healthier.
During scaling bacterial toxins are removed from the roots, and then each one is smoothed off. The procedure is minimally invasive, and you’ll receive a local anesthetic to remain comfortable.
Farber Center recommends deep periodontal cleanings in place of gum surgery wherever possible. During scaling and root planing, we will also use a perioscope to examine the pocket (space) under the gum line adjacent to any teeth where periodontitis is present.
The perioscope is a fiber-optic medical device that photographs and magnifies the pocket. It allows doctors and hygienists to view your pockets in detail and also to see disease-causing accumulations of plaque and tartar that may be present below the gumline.
One of our commitments at Farber Center is to offer state-of-the-art equipment and facilities so that we can provide the best care. Perioscopes are an example of our commitment to effectively treating periodontitis by thoroughly cleaning your root surfaces to remove plaque tartar.
Your treatment allows us to thoroughly examine all bone and tissue to check for other issues that may be present such as cracks, perforations, or other flaws on the tooth roots surface. Previously, finding these issues below the gumline required gum surgery. Now we are able to achieve the same examinations in a minimally invasive way during a deep periodontal cleaning.
Laser Pocket Disinfection (LPD)
Laser pocket disinfection (LPD) is a fast, painless treatment for gingivitis, a bacterial inflammation of the gums caused by plaque. LPD involves directing a periodontal laser with a specific wavelength at the pockets to kill bacteria without harming healthy gum tissue.
Farber Center is among Long Islands leaders in offering advanced laser gum treatments. If you suffer from gingivitis which can lead to more serious periodontal conditions if left untreated LPD is an excellent option with no discomfort and very little time away from work and life.
Among periodontal hygiene and gum disease preventing procedures, LPD is gaining in popularity because it is quick and painless. During treatment, thousands and likely millions of bacteria are killed and eradicated from your mouth. Few things can make such a beneficial difference so quickly.
Laser pocket disinfection is equally safe and effective around natural teeth, dental implants, bridges, and other dental work. Its many benefits include helping to save your teeth, keeping your gums healthier and slowing or stopping bone loss.
LPD is not a replacement for other periodontal procedures but it is an important recent addition to laser gum treatments that are beneficial to keeping teeth and gums healthy. Also, it receives enthusiastic recommendations from patients because it is quick and painless.
When you visit Farber Center for an evaluation, LPD will be among the options offered if you have inflamed gums and are suffering from gingivitis. Like any other treatment with the potential to help prevent more serious conditions, it is a wise step to preserve your oral health.
Dental Night Guards for Bruxism
When you have a grinding or clenching habit, known as bruxism, you exert excessive stress on your teeth, which also can negatively affect your gums and jawbone. Bruxism can be especially damaging when it takes place while you are asleep. Therefore, expertly fitted dental night guards available at Farber Center can help protect your teeth from unintentional damage.
If left untreated, grinding and clenching can cause several problems:
- Gum recession and tooth loss; grinding can damage the soft tissue directly and lead to loose teeth because bacteria can colonize and damage the supporting bone
- Facial pain and headaches; grinding can eventually shorten and blunt your teeth which can cause muscle pain and, in severe cases, incapacitating headaches
- Tooth fractures; abnormal wear patterns on the chewing areas of the teeth caused by grinding and clenching can cause teeth to fracture
- Arthritis; severe cases of grinding and clenching can lead to painful arthritis in the temporomandibular (TMJ) joints that allow your jaw to open and close smoothly
If you suspect you may have symptoms of bruxism, it’s essential to schedule an appointment for an examination and consultation. Custom dental night guards are a valuable option to consider if you’re clenching your jaw or grinding your teeth. Preserving a healthy smile and protecting your oral health are considerations too important to ignore.
Oral Home Care Instructions
It’s important to brush thoroughly and properly. Brush twice a day for two minutes each time. Brush the inner, outer, and biting surfaces of teeth. Be thorough but gentle. After you are finished, rinse vigorously to remove any plaque you have loosened while brushing. Bleeding while brushing is not normal. If you regularly notice blood or experience pain while brushing, call Farber Center today.
Flossing Instructions:
- Use approximately 18 inches of floss
- Wind the floss around the middle finger of each hand. Leave about one inch of floss free to clean between teeth
- Hold the floss tightly between thumbs and index fingers
- Using a gentle sawing motion, insert the floss between your teeth
- At the gum line, curve the floss into a C shape against the side of your tooth
- Use an up and down scraping motion on the sides of each tooth just beneath the gum line and in between teeth; repeat the same procedure on the tooth next to the one you just cleaned.
- Advance to a new section of floss as the section in use becomes used or worn.
- Repeat in the spaces between all of your teeth, top, and bottom and behind your back teeth.
When you are finished, rinse vigorously with water to remove plaque and food particles. If bleeding persists for more than a few days after you begin flossing, call our office.
You and Farber Center | Maintaining Good Oral Health is a Partnership
Maintaining excellent oral health is a combination of your at-home care with periodontal check-ups and care from Farber Center. When you become a patient you can rest assured that we offer state-of-the-art treatments including many newer more comfortable options such as laser pocket disinfection. Dr. Farber has dedicated our practice to saving teeth and our hygiene and preventive maintenance programs all are in support of our mission. Our procedures are handled as quickly and comfortably for you as possible and were always available to answer questions or provide information you may request.
Restoring Smiles & Changing Lives with Personalized Care and Exceptional Results
Call us with any questions or to make an appointment.