The limitations of periodontal treatment

Even the best hygienists can only do so much.

Image of dentist working on patient to illustrate scaling and root planing

A procedure known as scaling and root planing (SRP) is a widely used treatment for gum disease.

  • Image of dental tools used in scaling and planing – a widely used treatment for gum disease

    Scaling is the manual removal of plaque and tartar from the teeth and their roots

    Planing smoothes out rough spots on the roots where bacteria can gather

SRP is highly effective, but it has a few limitations. Dental instruments cannot always reach the base of deeper pockets in the gum tissue, where infection can continue to thrive.

That’s why many dental professionals now use a combination approach that pairs an antibiotic such as ARESTIN (minocycline HCl) Microspheres, 1 mg with SRP procedures. Unlike antibiotics taken as a pill, ARESTIN is locally applied directly at the gum infection site. ARESTIN + SRP has been proven to deliver better results than SRP alone.