Periodontal Care

Good dental health involves more than just teeth. Periodontics is the maintenance and preventative care necessary to keep your gums healthy and free of disease. This is critical because periodontal disease can lead to tooth loss.

The main goal of good dental hygiene is to keep plaque from accumulating on the teeth, thus stopping problems before they start. This is an ongoing task, however, as plaque begins to develop on your teeth within 20 minutes of eating.

When plaque is left on the teeth long enough, it hardens and turns into tartar (also called calculus), which can't be brushed or flossed off. This is why professional cleanings are important, to remove tartar.

When tartar is left on the teeth, it develops rough edges and points and becomes an ideal home for bacteria, which can multiply enormously in its tiny hollows and valleys. In response, the gums start to recede, creating pockets between tooth and gum which provide even more space for bacteria. This is the beginning of gum disease and once it takes hold, it's a vicious cycle hard to break.

Ultrasonic tartar removal

Cleanings done with painful instruments are a thing of the past. Our excellent doctors and staff can now painlessly remove plaque and tartar using an ultrasonic scaler.

There's no pressure or scraping with this technique. Instead, the ultrasonic vibration removes tartar, much the way an ultrasonic toothbrush removes plaque. Tartar is removed from above the gumline, and from below it, from the tooth root surfaces.

Periodontal Care & Other Health Conditions

Good periodontal care is especially important to people who suffer from certain diseases, with diabetes being at the top of the list. Diabetics have a 30% increased rate of developing periodontal disease. Our skilled doctors can help you develop a thorough, accelerated preventative routine in such cases.

For more information on periodontics, including gum disease, please contact us today, or visit the links below.

• Non-Surgical Management vs. Surgical Management
• Dental Hygiene

We offer free consultations, and serve residents of the San Francisco, Oakland and San Pablo, California, area. We look forward to hearing from you.