Robert F Dutka, DDS
847-577-4444
drdutka@dutkadds.com
Dental Conditions
Periodontal Involvement
There are two reasons why it takes new tools and techniques to clean the plaque off of your teeth when you've lost bone due to periodontal disease.
First, in a healthy mouth, the space between the tooth and gums (called the sulcus) is normally two to three millimeters deep. And that's how far below the gums you can effectively clean with a toothbrush and floss. But with periodontal disease, the sulcus deepens; it's now greater than three millimeters, and it is called a pocket. Pockets are notorious hiding places for plaque and bacteria.
The second problem in periodontal disease has to do with the shape of the roots. If there is no periodontal disease, the bone level is high and the gums attach firmly 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.
In periodontal disease, the attachment shifts and you lose bone. Now you have root surfaces to contend with, and they have indentions. Floss stretches across these indentions and can't remove the plaque hiding inside.
Special tools are necessary to reach down beyond the normal three millimeters to thoroughly clean the indentions in the sides of the roots. Each tool is useful in different areas of your mouth.
Your dentist will be happy to work with you to customize a plaque-removal program using these special tools and techniques.