Professional tooth cleaning
In order for periodontitis to heal, all deposits (plaque and tartar) must be removed from the tooth surfaces in a professional dental cleaning.
During professional tooth cleaning, the dentist or dental hygienist systematically cleans all tooth surfaces. Cleaning and smoothing the bacteria-infested root surfaces under the gum line is particularly important in periodontitis.
Likewise, all obstacles that can make optimal oral hygiene at home difficult are removed. This includes, in particular, tartar deposits above the gum line, as well as protruding crown or filling edges.
A first professional tooth cleaning can rarely be done in one session. For patients with advanced periodontitis, several appointments are scheduled for professional tooth cleaning.
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Oral hygiene at home
In order to prevent the accumulation of new bacterial plaque, patients with periodontitis must learn how to keep their teeth optimally clean.
It is not always easy to perform regular oral hygiene at home. One major challenge, for example, is cleaning the spaces between the teeth. There are special oral hygiene aids for these areas, so-called interdental brushes. These are individually selected for each situation in the teeth and the patient is instructed on how to use them correctly by the dentist or dental hygienist.
During the course of gum treatment, patients learn an oral hygiene technique that is tailored to their situation. Good cooperation with optimal oral hygiene at home is crucial to the overall success of the treatment.
Follow-up (reevaluation)
One to two months after the professional teeth cleaning, the treatment result is checked and a decision is made as to how further professional care should be provided.
The treatment results are checked one to two months after the professional teeth cleaning. This follow-up check also checks whether patients can clean their teeth well through oral hygiene at home.
With good oral hygiene at home, a significant reduction in gingivitis and shrinkage of the gums can be expected. Even if the surfaces of the tooth roots are exposed, ideally fewer residual gum pockets with remaining probing values of more than 3 mm should be measured. In these cases, gum treatment can be completed and the healed situation can be professionally cared for through regular appointments with the dental hygienist.
Further surgical treatment
In situations with very advanced periodontitis, the deeper remaining gum pockets can usually only be successfully reduced through surgical treatment.
If residual gum pockets of more than 5mm are still found after the first professional dental cleaning, the tartar deposits that are often still present there can be better removed with surgical treatment. In addition, gum contours can be corrected and in certain cases even attempts can be made to rebuild the lost tissue using so-called biomaterials (controlled tissue regeneration).
More complex gum treatments often take more than a year. Those affected need to understand how this therapy will proceed and what goals can be achieved with it. Good cooperation from the patient, including good oral hygiene at home, stopping smoking or changing their diet, is essential.
Professional long-term care (aftercare, recall)
Following gum treatment, professional long-term care is planned by the dental hygienist. The frequency of these sessions is also based on the so-called residual gum pockets.
Following gum treatment, long-term success over several years can only be guaranteed if patients practice optimal oral hygiene at home and prevent their gums from becoming inflamed again by new bacterial plaque on a daily basis.
For optimal long-term success, ongoing professional long-term care from a dental hygienist is also important so that any recurring problems can be identified and resolved in a timely manner.
The interval between these dental hygiene sessions is usually three, four or six months. The frequency depends on the quality of oral hygiene, the extent of the gum inflammation and the presence of the so-called residual gum pockets.
Who can perform periodontal treatment?
The first professional tooth cleaning can be carried out by the private dentist and dental hygienist. In cases of severe periodontitis, referral to a specialist in periodontics, such as Dr. med. dent. Barbara Lehmann , is recommended .
The treatment of difficult cases – particularly rapidly progressing periodontal diseases in adolescents and adults – requires special knowledge and an infrastructure that guarantees seamless long-term periodontal care. The private dentist (family dentist) can refer such patients to us, a specialized dental practice .
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