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Periodontics
Periodontics in Beaumont
Although many patients don’t give gum disease much thought, it’s time to consider it—for the sake of good oral health! It’s estimated 75 percent of Americans over the age of 35 are dealing with this condition. When left untreated, gum disease (also known as periodontitis) may have a big impact on your overall well-being. Keep reading to learn more about the condition, including its side effects, prevention and treatment.
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What Is Periodontal (Gum) Disease?
Gum disease is an infection in the gum tissue, and it occurs in a series of stages. In the beginning, it’s known as gingivitis, and may often be reversed with extra-vigilant oral hygiene. Left untreated, however, gum disease quickly escalates and leads to a number of more serious issues. Some of the most common symptoms are listed below.
Symptoms of Gum Disease
Treating gum disease early may prevent the development of these issues:
Chronic bad breath
Red, swollen, tender gums
Painful chewing
Eventual tooth loss
These are just a few of the effects of gum disease. The condition has also been linked to cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure and stroke. The conclusion? Maintaining gum health is essential for your general well-being.
Scaling & Root Planing
Prevention is easy, but for the majority of Americans suffering from gum disease, we urge every patient not to wait to seek treatment. We will evaluate the condition and recommend the best option to return the gums back to their optimal health. Most cases of gum disease are best treated with scaling and root planing procedures.
Scaling and root planing is like a deep cleaning for the teeth and gums. It’s a non-surgical, two-pronged approach that thoroughly removes the plaque, tartar and bacteria causing the inflammation.
The first step is to have the teeth scaled—a process that involves removing plaque and tartar from the tooth and just below the gumline. Then, root planing further decreases inflammation with a special tool that reaches far below the gumline to remove harmful material from the surface of the root.
Antibiotic Therapy
Following your scaling and root planing treatment, we apply a small amount of antibiotics directly to the gum pockets that have formed between the teeth. As these pockets soak up the antibiotics, they promote healing of the gum tissue and reduce the risk of the gums becoming infected again between routine follow-up visits. We’ll make sure to pay close attention to these areas at the next visit, in order to confirm the therapy is working properly.
Periodontal Maintenance
With advanced levels of gum disease, it becomes incredibly important to practice routine maintenance over a long period of time. Failing to do so only puts the gums at risk of becoming reinfected. That’s why we advise patients to stay committed to scheduling routine follow-up appointments with our office. After all, periodontal therapy requires visits every three to four months to give the gums time to heal between scaling and root planing.
Take Care of Your Gums
Ignoring the gums may lead to tooth loss and more. Contact our office today to schedule a checkup.
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