Most people could expect when they come to the dentist to have a deep cleaning, also known as scaling and root planing, if they haven't been in for a while or have gotten behind on their regular cleanings from their hygienist. Scaling and root planing is the removal of plaque, calculus, bacteria and diseased tissue that collects around the tooth, on the roots of teeth and under the gums. It is and always will be an essential process to help stop or slow down the disease process the gums and bone go through when you start to see bleeding or start noticing chronic bad breath. Ther procedure can take up to four appointments if necessary to get everything cleaned up and get the patient on their way to healing and ultimately stability (no bleeding etc). In most cases, the patient (along with good home care; flossing daily etc.) responds well and we see them every 3 mo to help in their maintenance phase. However, in some cases, certain areas may not respond, or get better, the way we'd like to see them and then we will refer the patient to a specialist called a periodontist. They specialize in the gums and bone and can do corrective surgery and/or grafting in unstable areas to help restore health. These processes have been tried and true and are still the standard of care.At our office, Dr. Gressell and staff are committed to providing forward thinking techniques and to stay on top of new research and technology so we can provided our patients with all the information so they can decide what additional products and/or procedures may also benefit them. One of the new products that we are excited to provide is called PerioProtect. It is for anyone who wants to prevent and/or improve the long term success of their periodontal (gum and bone) health. It is an adjunct following scaling and root planing and/or for someone who is on maintenance therapy already and is looking to prevent future breakdown (because inflammation can reoccur unsuspectingly). PerioProtect is not an end all and be all. Ongoing maintenance care is still recommended. We treat everything the same but would add this new method in addition.PerioProtect is a new, revolutionary non-invasive method that helps to kill bacteria at the source without pain or surgery. It is a specialized, proprietary, custom dental tray that you wear daily with an antimicrobial gel that gets forced down into the pocket (under the gum)and can eliminate 99.98% of disease-causing bacteria. PerioProtect can reduce inflammation and pocket depths. The antimicrobial that you put in the tray consists of a 1.7% hydrogen peroxide solution that after 5 minutes of contact, kills 50-70% of the bacteria and nearly 100% are killed after 15 minutes. The hydrogen peroxide gel was chosen because of its biocompatibility with the human body and it leaves "good" aerobic bacteria in the oral flora. It is completely safe around fillings, crowns and dental implants. Hydrogen peroxide breaks down to oxygen and creates a "hyperbaric chamber" down in the pocket where anaerobic bacteria reside and penetrates and eliminates them. An added benefit with the hydrogen peroxide is that you may notice whiter teeth!To get started, you will need an impression taken in our office and we will send it to a lab that makes the customized trays and in 3 weeks we will deliver your trays along with the antimicrobial gel and show you how to use them. It's very easy but extremely beneficial.Please call our office at 253-857-6778 or contact us via our website for more information.