How Dental Cleanings Help You Prevent Gum Disease

How Dental Cleanings Help You Prevent Gum Disease

Posted August 13, 2012 by Wager-Evans Dental

In our previous blogs, we discussed how preventive dentistry can help save your life with frequent oral cancer screenings, meaning these twice yearly checkups can save your life. This week, our Reno dentists, Dr. Wager and Dr. Evans, will explain how dental cleanings every six months can help protect your quality of life by preventing gum disease.

The Importance of Periodontal Disease Prevention

Gum disease prevention is one of the most important measures you can take for your oral health. While gum disease is highly treatable in the early stages, there is no cure. Periodontal disease can ravage your oral health by destroying the connective tissues between your teeth and gums. In the later stages, periodontitis can also infect your jawbone, causing your teeth to become loose and fall out. By scheduling regular dental cleanings, you can avoid this devastating effect of gum disease.

Dental Cleanings in Reno

At a dental cleaning, our Reno dentists will assess your gum health by looking for signs of gingival infection. Some symptoms of gum disease include red or swollen gum tissue, gingival bleeding, foul breath, or loose teeth.

Scaling and root planing, will remove the plaque buildup causing periodontal infection. This method is called deep cleaning because scaling goes beneath the gum line to clean around the tooth root and gums. Root planing smoothes the tooth roots to prevent further bacteria from latching on to a rough surface and to encourage reattachment of the periodontal tissue.

At these dental cleanings, our Reno dentists can also give you tips for better at-home oral hygiene to prevent gum disease from worsening. We can assess your risk factors and make suggestions for contributing to a healthier mouth.

Gum Disease Prevention in Reno

For more information about preventive dentistry, contact our Reno dental office at 775-829-7700. We serve patients from Sparks, Sun Valley, Cold Springs, Spanish Springs, Golden Valley, Lawton, Mogul, and the surrounding Reno communities.