Periodontal Disease Treatment Options
If you are taking good care of your teeth and seeing the dentist every six months, your chances of developing periodontal (gum) disease are reduced. However, certain illnesses and medications can predispose a person to this condition, and it’s important to share your medical history with the dentist, so they can be proactive in maintaining your oral health.
Treatment for Gum Disease Begins at Home
Early gum disease due to neglected oral hygiene can often be reversed with a deep cleaning performed by a dentist or periodontist and the establishment of a consistent brushing and flossing routine.
When gum disease progresses to advanced gum disease (periodontitis), the treatments become more complex. While keeping your teeth and gums clean is the first step to maintaining oral health, only the dentist can determine the level of treatment you need to preserve your smile long term.
Levels of Treatment for Gum Disease
Non-Surgical Gum Treatments: Periodontal treatments range from the simple to the complex for mild to moderate gum disease or gingivitis. Also referred to as a deep cleaning, scaling and root planing removes tartar and bacteria that has reached below the gum line. If left untreated tartar buildup and bacteria start destroying gum-tissue near the roots of teeth. If mild pockets have formed due to tissue loss, pocket irrigation is often used to encourage healing. Topical and oral antibiotics are often added to non-surgical gum treatments to fight infection and prevent it from recurring.
Surgical Gum Treatments – These procedures are used for more complex forms of gum disease including periodontitis. Periodontal surgeries include a pocket reduction to encourage healing of stretched out gums, flap surgery to clear out stubborn tartar, bacteria, and infected gum tissue, and gum grafting to regenerate soft tissue. Pinhole surgery is a recently developed, innovative gum grafting technique that is less invasive than conventional surgery. This method requires no sutures and features a much faster healing time.
In the presence of severe gum disease or the prolonged absence of natural teeth, bone loss can typically occur. Bone grafting and preservation is performed to build up a patients’ jawbone to receive dental implants and to preserve hard and soft dental tissue after tooth extraction. Bone grafting and dental implants help prevent the prematurely aged appearance that is caused by bone loss.
Learn More about Gum Disease Treatment in Citrus Heights
Robert P. Obregon, DDS offers comprehensive one-stop dental care including extensive gum disease treatment options. He and his team are committed to providing compassionate dental care to maintain, enhance, or restore your smile. Contact our office today and schedule a comprehensive evaluation.