Treatment
Hygiene and gum health
The unglamorous half of the practice, and the half that decides whether the rest lasts.
What it is
Gum disease is the reason most adults lose teeth, and it is painless until it is advanced. That combination is why we treat hygiene as the foundation of everything else rather than as an add-on at reception.
A first appointment is measurement before cleaning: six readings around every tooth, recorded, so there is a number to compare against next time. Then ultrasonic and hand scaling, above and below the gum, over one or two visits depending on what the readings show.
No cosmetic work is started here on unstable gums. An implant in an infected mouth fails, and veneers on receding gums look wrong within two years.
Suited to
- Bleeding when you brush — which is not normal, however common
- Gums that have receded
- Before any implant, veneer or alignment work
- Anyone who has not had a full chart in over two years
And when it is not
Advanced periodontal disease with significant bone loss may need a specialist periodontist. We will refer rather than treat at the edge of what this practice does well.
Step by step
How it goes.
Chart
Six measurements per tooth, written down. Everything afterwards is compared against this.
Clean
Ultrasonic and hand scaling, above and below the gum line, over one or two visits.
Review
Re-measured at eight weeks so improvement is a number rather than an impression.