At Drummoyne Dental Practice we believe in preventive dentistry. When you come in for a regular 6 monthly check up and clean, we assess any growing problems and discuss them before they grow into a lengthy and expensive problem. Part of our assessment and check is the gum chart, or clinical perio analysis, (item number 221), used to determine if your teeth are showing any signs of gum disease.
What is the periodontic chart?
The Periodontic chart is a reading of the depth beneath the gum of six points of each tooth. It allows our dentists at Drummoyne Dental Practice to accurately determine if any bone structure has been lost due to periodontic disease, or gum disease. To read more about periodontic disease click here.
What happens during the charting?
During the charting, the dentist will carefully probe along each point of the tooth with a periodontic probe (pictured below) and call out each measurement (in millimetres) to the dental assistant who in turn will enter it in our records. Other facets of your tooth may also be tested, such as the mobility, using a gentle push, and clinically, gum recession and the appearance of blood. The test itself will take between 10 to 20 minutes.
What do you do with this information?
With the information collected by the periodontic reading, our dentists are able to determine if and/or what stage of gum disease your teeth are at. If you do show signs of gum disease you will be recommended a deep clean. Six weeks after your deep cleans, another periodontic chart will be taken and our dentist will be able to see if any improvements have been made, from there they will discuss the next steps with you.
If you have any concerns regarding your dental health, call 9181 2226 or email us at drummoynedentalpractice@gmail.com to book in an appointment with our friendly dentists today.