Periodontal practices are common and often considered a part of regular dental care. They play a vital role in keeping your teeth healthy by providing various treatments that often help fight periodontal diseases and other dental conditions affecting your gums. Besides keeping your teeth healthy, periodontal practices also provide additional massive benefits to your oral health, such as preventing tooth loss and improving your heart health. If you want to improve your oral health, contact a periodontist from Ueno Center Dental Specialists for the best periodontal treatments. This article will explain and explore the various tools used during treatments to get a better idea of what periodontal practices involve.
Periotomes
Periotomes are used to remove gum tissue, plaque, and calculus. They also guide your periodontist during root canal therapy. The periotome is a small metal instrument used for cutting the gums around your teeth. It has two sharp blades that easily cut through soft tissue or bone without damaging the underlying tooth structure.
The blade on the periotome elevator is curved, allowing you to move it along an imaginary line between your incisor teeth. This means it can cut any part of your mouth without being blocked by other healthy tissues or bones.
Periodontal Probe
A periodontal probe is a tool that measures and treats your teeth’ pocket depths and removes plaque from the root surface. This periodontal practice tool is made of stainless steel and has a blunt tip. However, it should not be bet or sharpened to prevent it from damaging your teeth and gums. Also, the probe should not be directly in contact with the tooth surface. Instead, it would be best to use an instrument handle to hold it during treatment procedures.
Gracey Curettes
Gracey curettes remove the soft tissue and bone around the tooth by scraping off plaque, calculus, and tartar buildup. Use a long handle that can reach your tooth and gum pockets more easily when using the Gracey curette. The longer handle will also allow for better control when removing plaque on a highly sensitive area such as under the tongue.
Elevators
Elevators help raise teeth and remove soft tissue and bone from around teeth to make space for dental implants or bridges. Elevators have a very long history in periodontal treatment. This is because they allow you to access difficult areas that would otherwise not be accessible without using forceps or other instruments.
Scalers
Scalers help clean the gum line before or after your gum has been numbed by your periodontist. They can also remove plaque and tartar from around your teeth. Scalers scrape off layers of tissue on your teeth that have built up over time. They also remove bacteria that cause bad breath, plaque, and gingivitis. Scalers are hand-held or battery-operated models that you can wear during treatment sessions.
Periodontal Scalpel
The periodontal scalpel removes soft tissue, bone, and tartar from your gingiva. This tool has a sharp point that can cut through the deepest layers at an angle. This feature helps prevent damage and bleeding to your tooth structure.
It is important to have a good understanding of the tools that are commonly used during periodontal practices. This step will help you make informed decisions about what is best for oral health. While periodontal practices can help you improve your oral health, it is important to maintain good oral hygiene. Doing so will help your teeth stay healthy and strong over time and keep them free from bacteria that could lead to gum infections.
