Root indentations
We'll explain proper techniques

Homecare for Periodontal Disease

When you've lost bone due to periodontal disease, it takes new tools and techniques to clean the plaque off of your teeth.

In a healthy mouth, the space between the tooth and gums, called the sulcus, is normally 2 to 3 millimeters deep. And that's how far below the gums you can effectively clean with a toothbrush and floss. With periodontal disease, the sulcus deepens. It's now greater than 3 millimeters, and we call it a pocket.

Another problem in periodontal disease has to do with the shape of the tooth roots. If there is no periodontal disease, the bone level is high and the gums attach at the necks of the teeth.

You can wrap floss around this surface and do a thorough job of keeping plaque off of your teeth. But in periodontal disease, the attachment shifts and you lose bone. This exposes the root surfaces, which have indentations. Floss stretches across these indentions and can't remove the plaque.

Special cleaning tools

Special tools are necessary to reach down beyond the normal 3 millimeters to thoroughly clean the indentions in the sides of the roots in a pocket. Each tool is useful in different areas of your mouth.

We'll be happy to work with you to custom tailor a plaque-removal program using these special tools and techniques.