Dental Hygiene & Checkups in SE Calgary

Causes of Tooth Decay

The two primary causes of tooth loss are tooth decay and gum disease.

Both tooth decay and gum disease can be caused by bacteria in the mouth. Proper dental hygiene can help prevent tooth decay.

Some of the elements of proper dental hygiene include:

• Seeing your dentist at least twice a year for a cleaning and oral exam
• Brushing and flossing twice a day
• Eating a balanced diet
• Limiting between-meal snacks
• Seeing your dentist at least twice a year for a cleaning and oral exam

Keeping your teeth healthy

Whether you have healthy gums, or you are in a state of active periodontal disease, routine home maintenance in most cases only focuses on areas of dental hygiene of the teeth that are above the gum line. Through regular scaling and root planing procedures that remove plaque, tartar and bacterial toxins from those hard to reach areas below the gum line, we are able to help keep your gums healthy.

We recommend dental hygiene visits twice yearly for maintenance and preventative care, unless your oral health status dictates you require more frequent visits.

Depending on your preventative treatment schedule, some visits may include:

• Taking x-rays to check bone levels (a good indicator of chronic gum and bone disease)
• Measuring the depth of periodontal pockets
• Checking for loose teeth or bleeding gums
• Removing plaque or tartar above and below the gum line
• Rviewing your home care techniques and their resulting effectiveness
• Oral cancer screening and checking the tissues of the head and neck

How do we accomplish the control or prevention of periodontal disease or tooth decay?

We use an ultrasonic scaler. An ultrasonic scaler consists of a wand with a small scaling tip that produces soft ultrasonic vibrations and a gentle flow of water. As the tip moves along the tooth surface, it creates small pulses that break up plaque, tartar and other debris.

The benefits of ultrasonic scaling

Ultrasonic scaling may help remove debris below the gum line.

Hand scaling is still completed afterwards.