Dr. Kim Arnold Family Dentistry provides periodontal services in Russell, KY. Call (606) 836-6022 to learn more and schedule an appointment.
We offer a wide range of periodontal procedures that can treat periodontal or gum disease in damaged hard and soft tissues in the mouth. Periodontal procedures are typically performed to save or rebuild the jaw bone and/or gums in order to save teeth or allow for the placement of dental implants. They can also be used to enhance your smile by correcting problems like long or short teeth, uneven gum lines, receding gums, exposed roots, and indentations in the gums or jawbone.
About Gum Disease
If gum disease is diagnosed and treated early, the condition can be reversed, and tooth loss can usually be prevented. If you think you may have gum disease, it is essential that you schedule an appointment for an evaluation right away. If our doctors detect gum disease during your visit, they will help improve your home oral care and recommend specialized treatment options in our office to eliminate the disease.
Periodontal Maintenance Program
Home care is an extremely important part of maintaining healthy teeth and gums, but even excellent home care cannot prevent bacteria and plaque. If the plaque is not removed, it can harden, becoming calculus. We will recommend a periodontal maintenance program that is best for you based on how quickly you develop calculus and your past and current periodontal health. During your maintenance visits, we will perform an oral examination as well as a dental cleaning.
During an oral examination, a visual inspection is performed to detect normal and abnormal structures of the entire mouth, head and neck. Along with radiographs, an examination detects cavities, abnormalities in existing dental restorations, gum and bone recession, and any other abnormal findings within the mouth, head, and neck
A dental cleaning, also known as an oral prophylaxis, is the removal of dental plaque and tartar (calculus) from the teeth. Specialized instruments are used to gently remove these deposits without harming the teeth. First, an ultrasonic device that emits vibrations and is cooled by water is used to loosen larger pieces of tartar. Next, hand tools are used to manually remove smaller deposits and smooth the tooth surfaces.
Scaling and Root Planing
Scaling and root planing is a non-surgical procedure used to treat gum disease. During the scaling process, specialized dental instruments are used to remove dental plaque and calculus from beneath the gums. Planing is the procedure used to smooth the tooth’s root after the scaling process. Root planing helps the gums heal and reattach themselves to a cleaner and smoother root surface.
Crown Lengthening
Crown lengthening is commonly used to expose more tooth structure, crown lengthening involves the removal of gum tissue and/or bone to expose more of a tooth’s structure.