Know More About Periodontal Treatment

The health of your gums is crucial in preventing oral and general health issues such as cardiovascular diseases. One of the diseases that affect your gums is periodontitis. Periodontitis is a gum infection caused by bacteria that have accumulated in your gums.

Stages of Periodontitis

This disease progresses in four stages.

• The first stage is inflammation or gingivitis. During this stage, your gums tend to bleed every time you brush or floss. You might also notice teeth discoloration as a result of plaque accumulation.
• The second stage is the early periodontitis. Your gum recedes and starts pulling away from your teeth, forming small pockets between your teeth. You are likely to experience bleeding when you brush your teeth.
• As the infection progresses, your gum will gradually recede and cause an inflammatory reaction that affects your whole body.
• In advanced stages, the connective tissue that holds your teeth and gum together starts to deteriorate. The gum, bones, and other muscles that support your teeth by now are destroyed in this stage. You are likely to experience pain when chewing, a foul taste in your mouth, and severe bad breath.

Symptoms of Periodontitis

The signs and symptoms of periodontitis depend on stages, but the general symptoms include:

• Bleeding gums upon brushing or flossing
• Severe bad breath
• Receding gums
• Tender, red, and swollen gums
• Pain while chewing
• Tooth loss
• Inflammatory reaction in the whole body

Causes

The major cause of periodontal diseases is the accumulation of tartar and plaque on your gums. Poor oral hygiene leads to the collection of tartar and plaque, offering habitats for harmful bacteria.

Diagnosis

Before a periodontal treatment in Spring, TX, your dentist will carry out some examinations. However, if you visit a dentist regularly, your dentist will be able to detect signs of periodontal infections in their early stages.

Your dentist can use a tiny ruler known as a probe to measure pockets in your gums. The test is painless. Therefore, you do not have to panic. If he or she finds plaque or tartar in the pockets, the dentist will remove the substances as part of professional cleaning. Your dentist can perform dental x-rays and recommend treatment.

Periodontal Treatments in a Dental Clinic Near Me

For patients that need periodontal treatment in 77379 Spring, TX, Dr. Paul Graf DDS will recommend a treatment procedure depending on your condition. Periodontal treatments aim to clean and remove plaque, tartar, and bacterial deposits from your gums.

The treatments can either be surgical or non-surgical.

Non-Surgical Treatments

The dentist will recommend non-surgical treatments if the disease isn’t advanced. Most of the procedures are non-invasive and are relatively painless. These procedures include:

Scaling

When performing this procedure, the dentist removes bacterial deposits and tartar from the surfaces of your teeth. Your dentist uses some instruments, an ultrasonic device, or a laser.

Root Planing

When your dentist or periodontist performs root planning, your teeth roots smoothen, discouraging tartar, and bacterial build-up. During the procedure, there is the elimination of bacterial by-products that contribute to inflammations.

Use of Antibiotics

Dentists recommend oral or topical antibiotics to control bacterial infections. Topical antibiotics might include mouth rinses or gels. However, oral antibiotics are still necessary to eliminate the infection.

Surgical Treatments

If you have advanced periodontitis, your dentist will recommend surgical treatments. Some of the surgical treatment procedures include:

Pocket Reduction Surgery

During this procedure, your dentist or oral surgeon makes small incisions on your gum so as the gum sections are lifted back in place. Once the gums are in place, they expose the tooth’s root for easier scaling and root planing. The dentist might re-contour the damaged bone, before suturing back the gum.

Soft Tissue Grafting

Since your gum recedes, some tissue will require reinforcement. During the procedure, your dentist will remove some tissue from the roof of your mouth. He or she will then attach it to the affected area to prevent further receding.

Bone Grafting

Your dentist will recommend this procedure if the bone around the infected area is damaged. The bone may be fragments of your own, synthetic, or donated. The graft will hold your tooth in place, preventing tooth loss.

Other surgical procures are:

• Guided tissue generation
• Tissue stimulating proteins treatment