Periodontal Therapy

Periodontal disease is responsible for most cases of tooth loss as an adult. Periodontal disease is actually an infection can damage your teeth and gums and will eventually weaken the entire tooth structure which results in lost teeth. Something that many people don’t realize about periodontal disease is that it isn’t just considered a dental health issue but a medical health issue as well. This is because periodontal infection enters the bloodstream and can affect other parts of the body with the best known link being to the heart with findings showing that it can actually increase your chances of a heart attack. This is why periodontal therapy is so important.

Periodontal therapy involves both surgical and non-surgical treatment options depending on the severity of the infection. The first step is diagnosis and this can often be done simply by looking at the teeth and gums. X-rays and other digital imagery is used to confirm just how severe the infection is as how much damage has been done to the surrounding bone and gums. Non-surgical treatment is always preferred but not always possible. Ideally periodontal therapy will begin with a thorough cleaning which will involve the use of a fine point instrument to clean out the plaque and tartar that has formed below the gum line. In less severe cases this can be enough to allow the gum to grow and reattach itself to the tooth. This is also done before surgery for more advanced cases in order to get better results. The tooth roots may also be planed and smooth in more advanced cases to improve the chances of the gum being able to reattach to the tooth.

If your periodontal therapy requires surgical treatment then that surgery involves a procedure that carefully pulls the gum away from the tooth so that the infected periodontal pocket can be cleaned out. These deep periodontal pockets can’t be accessed any other way which is why surgery is used. In the end the cleaned pocket will decease in size, therefore also decreasing the size of the area where bacteria is more likely to grow.

If you find that you are experiencing any signs of periodontal disease then you need to make an appointment with the dentist as soon as possible since prolonging periodontal treatment will only result in more damage to your teeth and health and more costly treatments. Some signs include gums that are puffy and red, bleeding when brushing, gums that have pulled away from the teeth, a change in the way your teeth fit together and loose teeth. While only your dentist can really diagnose periodontics, having any of the mentioned symptoms is a good indicator that something is wrong and that treatment is needed sooner rather than later.