Dental Cleanings in Mitchell, SD

Do you have bad breath, bleeding gums, or loose teeth? If so, you may have periodontal disease.

Periodontal disease (also known as gum disease) affects millions of people and is the most common disease in the U.S. 

At Dental Health Partners, we take the treatment of periodontal disease very seriously. The effects of periodontal disease don't stop with your teeth and gums. Studies have shown that whatever is happening in your mouth also affects the rest of your body. This can lead to problems like heart disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, and other diseases. 

How Gum Disease Starts

Periodontal disease is a chronic infection that can damage your gums and the bones that support your teeth. Often, gum disease is the result of neglect and procrastination when it comes to routine cleanings and examinations. 

Gum disease starts when plaque begins to build up between the teeth and under the gum line. If treatment does not begin promptly, pockets between the gums and the teeth develop and steadily increase. In time, your teeth become loose. Eventually, they will be lost. Unfortunately, many patients do not realize that they have developed gum disease until they experience loose and lost teeth.

The worst part of periodontal disease is that it is silent. Most people don't even know they have periodontal disease. 

Customized Dental Care in Mitchell to Fit Your Needs

We’re committed to making sure all our patients receive personalized treatment that fits their specific needs. Whether you currently have gum disease or you just want to maintain a healthy smile, our dentists in Mitchell are equipped to offer the type of cleaning you need. 

Routine Dental Cleanings

Routine dental cleanings should be a part of everyone’s oral health care routine. When combined with proper at-home oral hygiene and a healthy diet, regular professional cleanings are your best defense against developing gum disease.

For most patients, we recommend these routine cleanings twice a year. This type of cleaning removes plaque above the gums that accumulates on your teeth. This is the best way to prevent the need for the deeper periodontal cleanings.

Periodontal Deep Cleanings

Deep cleanings are for patients who have periodontal disease. What happens in periodontal disease is plaque, tartar, and staining accumulate under the gum tissue on the roots of the teeth. This plaque, tarter, and staining is full of bacteria and causes low grade infections under the gum tissue.  

Most times, the individual does not know they have periodontal disease as they cannot detect this low grade infection. However, even though it is not painful, a lot is going on beneath the surface. Under the surface of the gum tissue, these bacteria are slowly dissolving the bone. If left untreated, the teeth will become mobile and, given enough time, these teeth will fall out!

The goal of these periodontal deep cleanings is to thoroughly clear away the plaque, tartar, and staining that contains the bacteria. Our skilled hygienists remove the plaque, tartar, and staining and restore the roots back to a smooth surface. After the cleaning, we'll irrigate the area with a prescription-strength antimicrobial rinse to flush out any bacteria that might remain and provide you with a completely fresh start. At times, the hygienists will administer antibiotics to further prevent bacteria from recolonizing the area.

In order to reduce any discomfort, we will usually numb the area to be treated. Periodontal deep cleanings address plaque, tartar, and staining above and below the gums.  

Periodontal Maintenance Cleanings

Once you’ve been treated for periodontal disease with the deep cleaning, we recommend more frequent cleanings so that we can closely monitor the condition of surrounding gum tissue and bone.

Once a patient gets periodontal disease and loses bone, they cannot regenerate this bone. However, our follow-up cleanings allow us to monitor your condition and identify any potential problems so we can adjust your treatment as appropriate. Even though we cannot regenerate this bone, we can prevent further bone loss.  

This is our goal of periodontal maintenance programs – to prevent further bone loss. Similar to the deep cleanings, periodontal maintenance cleans above and below the gums.  

Contact Our Mitchell, SD Dentist Office to Schedule!

If you’ve noticed a change lately in the way your gums look or feel, you may be seeing the signs of periodontal infection. The sooner you schedule an appointment for a cleaning and evaluation of your gums, the sooner we can eliminate the infection and get you back on the way to a happy and healthy smile. 

Give our dentist office in Mitchell a call today at (605) 996-1316 to speak with a friendly team member!