Periodontal disease treatment: Why your dentist is still your best friend
Seeking periodontal disease treatment is not something you should fear. What you should be afraid of is the debilitating effects of not seeking dental assistance at the first sign of periodontal diseases. As you know, gum diseases (and not dental cavities) are the leading cause of tooth loss. When periodontal disease progresses, the bone and gum tissues that support the teeth may deteriorate and cause your teeth to become loose and eventually fall off. But that’s just half of the equation. Recent studies have shown the link between periodontal diseases and certain medical conditions such as heart diseases and strokes. They have also been known to cause pregnancy complications such as low birth weight and premature births.
When it comes to periodontitis treatment, your dentist is the best person to approach. They will be able to determine the best option for your gum infection, depending on the severity. They can also prescribe the right medication prior to gum surgery (if necessary) as well as proper maintenance routine to ensure that the gum infection does not come back. Remember that surgical treatment is not the only option, especially when the gum disease is only at its initial stage. Gingivitis, the first stage towards periodontitis can be remedied by administering antimicrobial mouthwashes or medicated toothpastes made especially for periodontal disease treatment.
In moderate cases, root scaling and planing may be administered to remove the plaque and tartar which can causes periodontal disease. This process involves removing the tartar and plaque which has accumulated along and deep in the gumline. A special machine which probes into the gumline is used to detect deposits of tartar and plaque and remove them. Once the tartar and plaque is removed, the dentist or dental hygienist may now begin to polish off the teeth to make it hard for tartar to develop in the gumline area. It may usually involve up to four treatments to eradicate all tartar deposits on teeth.
For moderate to extreme cases, a flap surgery may be required. Your dentist may administer this, or he may recommend a specialist who deals with these types of surgical procedures. This process may involve cutting the gums open to remove plaque and tartar which has formed deep into the gumline as well as the dead tissues and repositioning as well as re-shaping the bone cavities which support the teeth. This may even involve bone and gum grafting if the gum and bone tissues have already been severely damaged. Once the surgery is done, the specialist may prescribe analgesics to ease the post-surgery pain and discomfort.
