Periodontal Disease Treatment and Maintenance
Treatment Options
If you've been diagnosed with periodontal disease, there are a variety of treatment options depending on your diagnosis and the severity of the problem. We always start with the least invasive options, which are non-surgical. However, in more serious cases, surgery may be necessary.
Non-Surgical Treatment
The first line of defense against the presence of periodontal disease is a unique type of cleaning called “scaling and root planing.” During this procedure, hand instruments and/or an ultrasonic cleaning device are used to remove bacterial plaque and calculus from your teeth where regular cleaning devices can't reach: under the gum line on the tooth root surface. Then, the rough surface of the tooth root are smoothed out (planed). This provides a healthy, clean surface that makes it easier for the gum tissue to reattach to the tooth.
If your periodontal disease is professionally treated before it becomes too severe, scaling and root planing may be the only treatment you need. However, continuous professional care is essential. In order to keep your teeth in good shape, and resist future occurrences of peridontal disease, you must brush and floss as instructed, eat a healthy diet, avoid tobacco use, and have regular periodontal checkups. Even after successful scaling and root planing, if you don't maintain quality home care it's quite likely that you'll develop periodontal disease again.
Surgical Treatment Options
If the tissue or bone surrounding your teeth is too damaged to be repaired with non-surgical treatment, several surgical procedures are available to correct the severe damage and restore a healthy smile. We will recommend the procedure that is best suited to restore the health of your teeth and gums. Following is a list of common types of periodontal surgery.
Pocket Depth Reduction
In a healthy mouth, the teeth are firmly surrounded by gum tissue and securely supported by the bones of the jaw. Periodontal disease damages these tissues and bones, leaving open spaces around the teeth that we call pockets. The larger these pockets are, the easier it is for bacteria to collect inside them, leading to more and more damage over time. Eventually the supportive structure degrades to the point that the tooth either falls out or needs to be removed.During pocket reduction procedures (also known as “flap surgery”), we fold back the gum tissue and remove the bacteria hiding underneath, as well as the hardened bacterial plaque and calculus that have formed. We may also remove any tissue that is too damaged to survive. We then suture the healthy tissue back into place. Now that the tooth and root are free of bacterial plaque and calculus, and the pockets have been reduced, the gums can reattach to the teeth.
- Regeneration
When the bone and tissue supporting the teeth have been lost due to severe gum disease, we can restore these areas with a regeneration procedure. During this process, we begin by folding back the gum tissue and removing the bacterial plaque and calculus. Depending on your situation, we may then perform a bone graft to stimulate new bone growth, or we may place a special kind of protein that stimulates tissue growth to repair the areas that have been destroyed by the disease. - Soft-Tissue Graft
A frequent symptom of periodontal disease is gum recession (also called gingival recession). As the gums recede, more of the tooth root is revealed. This can make teeth appear longer and can also create sensitivity to hot or cold liquids. The exposed tooth root is also susceptible to decay which can result in loss of the tooth. During a soft-tissue graft, tissue from the top of your mouth or another source is sutured to the recessed area, covering the roots and restoring the gum line to its original, healthy location. This procedure can also be performed for cosmetic reasons.
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