Periodontal Therapy – Alhambra, CA
Healthy Gums for a Healthy Mouth
While dentists usually spend a lot of time talking about cavities, did you know that the most common dental problem in the world is actually gum disease? This infection can cause bleeding, swelling, sensitivity, chronic bad breath, gum recession, and even tooth loss in many cases. If you have red, tender gums that bleed when you brush or floss your teeth, you may have an infection called periodontal disease, also known as gum disease. The word periodontal means “around the tooth”. Periodontal disease attacks the gums and the bone that surrounds your teeth and causes the teeth to become loose. Fortunately, at Advanced Dentistry of Alhambra, we’re trained and ready to take care of your gums as well as your teeth! With meticulous exams, specialty cleanings, topical antibiotics, and even diode laser dentistry, we’re easily able to find and treat gum disease before it causes any major destruction with complete periodontal therapy in Alhambra, CA.
Why Choose Advanced Dentistry of Alhambra for Gum Disease Treatment?
- Gum Disease Screening Performed at Every Checkup
- Deep Cleaning Provided by Experts
- On-Staff Periodontist
How Do You Develop Gum and Periodontal Disease?
It is common and natural for people to develop a bit of tartar between professional cleanings. This tartar tends to start developing right around the gum line. When the tartar deposits are not regularly removed, they start to build up and move underneath the gums. This movement causes inflammation of the gums, similar to when you get a splinter under your skin. Just like when you have a cut that gets infected, your body uses your immune system to help fight off the infection. If left untreated, the gum inflammation can progress down and start to destroy the bone supporting your teeth, by forming deep pockets around the teeth. These pockets can trap more food and debris in them, and the bone loss can continue. If not treated properly, the teeth can eventually become loose and may even need to be removed.
Gum Disease Treatments
The primary cause of gum disease is plaque and tartar buildup on the teeth below the gum line. These substances are filled with bacteria that can irritate and can break down the nearby tissues. Early stages of gum disease respond well to conservative treatments such as:
Scaling & Root Planing
Scaling and root planning, commonly known as deep cleaning is a non-surgical procedure intended to treat gum/periodontal disease by removing bacteria and accumulations under the gum line. Scaling uses small dental instruments to scrape off all hard accumulations and bacteria that have built up under the gum, inside the pockets. Root planing smooths down the exposed root area next to the gums to prevent plaque retention and calculus deposit from building up. Most of the time we do these two procedures at the same time, followed by flushing the pockets with antimicrobial medication.
Antibiotic Therapy
In order to make sure we get rid of all the gum disease bacteria present in a patient’s mouth, in addition to a scaling and root planing treatment, we’ll also apply a topical antibiotic. This is specifically used to clean the small spaces between the teeth and gums called periodontal pockets where bacteria like to gather and multiply. After an initial round of treatment, we’ll recommend that a patient come to see us every three to four months for regular cleanings to ensure their infection doesn’t have a chance to come back.
Laser Gum Disease Treatment
The diode laser can be used after the deep cleaning to disinfect the pockets. It is very effective in deep pockets that otherwise are hard to reach. A diode laser is a conservative treatment intended to prevent more invasive surgical treatment.
Specialty Periodontist Treatment
In case of bone loss deep cleaning itself may not be enough and other: regenerative and grafting procedures may be required to repair the damage. There are few procedures performed by our in-house periodontist available to treat more advanced forms of periodontal disease, such as grafts, regeneration and open gum cleaning.
Periodontal Maintenance
After periodontal therapy, regular maintenance visits are necessary to make sure that the infection does not return. The visits are scheduled three to four months apart and consist of scaling, polishing, flossing, and antimicrobial irrigation. Additional to that we customize the oral hygiene routine and techniques to help you maintain effective cleaning habits at home.
Gum Disease FAQs
What Is Gum Disease?
Gum disease, also called periodontal disease, refers to infection of the gum tissue. This problem usually results from an excessive buildup of plaque due to poor oral hygiene habits, but other risk factors include tobacco use, genetic conditions such as type I diabetes, and hormonal changes such as those that occur during pregnancy. Gum disease begins as inflammation called gingivitis, and it can usually be reversed at this stage with improved oral care. However, unaddressed gingivitis will eventually progress to the far more destructive stage of periodontitis, which causes permanent damage such as gum recession, jawbone erosion, and tooth loss.
What Are the Symptoms of Gum Disease?
Gum disease comes in two stages that involve different symptoms. If you are experiencing gingivitis, you may find signs like:
- Persistent bad breath
- Bleeding gums
- Swollen gum tissue
- A dark red color
- Tenderness
Periodontitis, on the other hand, can result in symptoms like:
- Pain when chewing
- Gum recession
- Dental sensitivity
- Changes in the way restorations like dentures and bridges fit
- Changes in your dental alignment
- Tooth loss
How Can Gum Disease Be Treated?
The team at Advanced Dentistry of Alhambra can treat gum disease in several ways such as:
- Scaling and root planing: Our dentist will perform this treatment to eliminate accumulations of plaque under the gumline. They will do this using specialized instruments to remove deposits of tartar, bacteria, and food debris along the root of the tooth and stimulate the dental structure to encourage it to reintegrate with the soft tissue. This is typically performed alongside antibiotic therapy.
- Antibiotic therapy: We may also apply a topical antibiotic to infected gums to kill the harmful bacteria colonies and prevent these germs from multiplying further. After the initial treatment, we’ll probably recommend that you come back every three or four mouths so we can ensure that the infection does not start again.
- Laser gum disease treatment: We may recommend using a diode laser to disinfect your gum tissue after a deep cleaning. This treatment is typically far less invasive than surgical options.
How Can I Replace Teeth Lost to Gum Disease?
While gum disease can lead to permanent tooth loss, our dentists are trained and equipped to fit patients with lifelike dental restorations so they can enjoy complete smiles. Once your gums are back in good health, we may be able to replace your lost teeth with appliances such as:
- Dental bridges: These appliances are designed to replace one or several missing teeth in a row. They consist of one to four artificial teeth supported by two dental crowns placed on healthy teeth or two dental implants.
- Dentures: These devices are worn over the gums to replace many lost teeth or an entire dental arch. While traditional dentures are held in place with the mouth’s natural suction, dentures supported by implants deliver superior chewing power and usually have a much longer lifespan.
- Dental implants: These titanium posts are surgically placed directly in the jawbone so they can support restorations such as crowns, bridges, or dentures that look, feel, and function just like real teeth.