Expert Periodontal Treatment

Gum Disease (Periodontal Disease)

Gum disease, also known as periodontal disease or periodontitis, a bacterial infection, threatens the supporting tissues in your mouth. Not only does it involve the gums and teeth, but it can also endanger the health of your vital organs. You must care for not only the teeth themselves but also the structures that surround them.

Think of a tooth like a fence post in the ground. If the soil around the fence post (root) erodes, the post loosens and begins to tip over with natural forces. Unfortunately, once bone support is lost around your teeth, it does not grow back. Following bone loss, the gum line recedes, exposing root surfaces. Receding gums can cause temperature sensitivity, increased risk of cavities, and unattractive smiles (long teeth with yellowed necks). Often, in the later stages of gum disease, a tooth develops an abscess and needs to be removed by a dentist.

Also, bad breath is a direct result of this degrading tissue. Since smoking is a significant risk factor in gum disease, the combination of gum disease and tobacco makes breath smell even worse. Reduced oxygenation and reduced ability to fight infection are two reasons we see smokers develop more gum disease than non-smokers.

Medical research has now revealed that this gum tissue breakdown serves as a portal for dangerous bacteria and their toxic byproducts to enter the bloodstream, causing harmful effects to the rest of the organs.

Maintaining good health of your gums and bone support will not only help you keep your teeth for a lifetime, but it also enables you to prevent:

Dangerous oral bacteria can enter the bloodstream and migrate to infect your blood vessel walls, heart, brain, and other vital organs.

Periodontal Disease Assessment

At our office, you will receive a comprehensive evaluation of the teeth and gums. This will include measuring the "pocket" around each tooth and the recession of your gums, assessing any tissue inflammation, checking for tooth mobility (loose teeth), and take any necessary x-rays. All of these steps evaluate the breakdown of gum tissue and bone loss. If we are determined from our evaluation that we cannot maintain your periodontal disease in our office, or if systems worsen, we may need to refer you to a Periodontist for treatment.

Periodontal Therapy Procedures

Periodontal therapy in our office is performed with non-surgical techniques and helps restore health to the tissues that support the teeth (gums and bone) and prevent tooth loss. They include:

There is no antibiotic coverage that will help resolve this disease long-term. There are indications for localized treatment of an antibiotic powder that we can place down into an infected pocket or not heal with traditional therapies.

Some patients can experience sensitive root surfaces from a recession caused by periodontal disease. After the fluoride application and when periodontal therapy is complete, and tissue healing, you can have some root surface sensitivity. These exposed root surfaces can become sensitive to hot and cold, and sometimes even sweets. This root surface is also more susceptible to cavities, or what we call root caries. Routine fluoride application can be critical to decrease sensitivity and protect against tooth and root decay.

Our entire team recognizes how difficult the challenge can be to stop smoking, and we empathize with our patients who want to face that. We also know that it is a very personal decision to quit smoking, and we are here to support you where we can, and most importantly, if you wish. As a team, we are trained in smoking cessation. We offer various tools such as a measured brand-switching, step down method, and acupuncture referrals.