Dr. Nammy talks about holistic deep gum cleanings, what they are, how often they should be done, and what patients can do in between cleanings to keep their gums healthy.
Gum cleaning is when we numb the gums and go deeper into the gum pockets. It’s very different from what you would get at another dentist. So if this was a tooth, this would be a basic cleaning. A gum cleaning would be we would go into the deeper pockets and remove all the bacteria that exists. They’re the ones that usually cause the bleeding gums and the bad breath and the redness that doesn’t look so good.
How often do you recommend people getting their gums cleaned?
I recommend people getting their gums cleaned, a deep thorough gum cleaning, every few years, but I do recommend everyone follows up with a periodontal maintenance every three months because when we talk about a deep gum cleaning, we’re kind of talking about a swamp that needs to get cleaned up. Once we do bulk of the cleaning, you do need to do a maintenance every three months in order to make sure that the swamp goes into a pond.
What can people do at home in between the cleanings to keep their gums clean and healthy?
The best thing to do is make sure that they’re flossing and using an electric toothbrush and also making sure they have a healthy diet. The key thing is frequent snacking. That’s actually the problem. You can eat, but eat multiple meals. If you’re going to have snacks, have a snack like a celery or an apple that are self-cleansing. It’s the sticky stuff that’s really horrible. It’s the peanut butter or the almond butter that sticks to the teeth or the chewy dried fruits that stick to the teeth. They’re the ones that cause cavities and the gum disease.
