4 Important Things You Should Know About Periodontal Treatment
Periodontitis is a common gum disease that can affect anyone. When you get infected, treatment is the only way out. The disease damages the bone that supports your teeth and the gum tissues. If not treated, you will lose the alveolar bone over time. This results in teeth loss after some time.
We will talk about what periodontal treatment involves in this article. This will give you a heads up on what to expect when going for periodontics treatment. You will also know when you have periodontitis and the treatment options available.
- What is Periodontal Treatment?
This is a treatment option that deals with periodontal diseases. The treatment cleans out bacteria from the areas around the teeth.This prevents any further damage to the tissues and bone.
Periodontal treatment is very important. It does prevent tooth loss, which can be caused by periodontitis. This treatment also prevents other issues caused by periodontitis, like heart attack risks. You should talk to your dentist if you suspect periodontitis. Your dentist will make a diagnosis to determine the extent of the damage.
- Diagnosis
The first step in periodontal treatment is diagnosis. It helps determine the extent of damage the disease has caused. Knowing the severity of the damage helps determine the best treatment option. Here are ways how periodontists can make a diagnosis.
Reviewing Your Medical History
Medical history plays an important role in any diagnosis. In this case, it helps the periodontist identify any contributing factors to the symptoms. Reviewing your medical history helps the dentist identify factors like drinking or smoking.
Physically Examining Your Mouth
A periodontist can also do a physical exam as part of the diagnosis. Here the periodontist will look out for tartar build-up and plaques.
Dental X-rays
Taking dental X-rays will help the periodontist determine areas with bone loss. Results from dental X-rays will dictate the best treatment option.
Measuring the Tooth Groove Pocket Depth
Measuring this depth is done using a dental probe. The periodontist places the probe against the teeth to take the measurements. Normal pocket depth should be around two millimeters for healthy teeth. Deep pockets indicate periodontitis.
- What Periodontics Treatment Involves
Both dentists and periodontists can perform periodontal exams and treatments. The success of this treatment may depend on some factors. Keeping good dental hygiene makes the treatment easier and more successful. This treatment is in two categories; surgical and nonsurgical.
Nonsurgical Periodontal Treatment
We use this treatment option when your periodontitis isn’t advanced. These are some forms of nonsurgical treatment.
Root Planning
For this treatment, we smoothen your tooth surface to discourage further tartar accumulation. Root planning also removes other bacteria from your tooth.
Scaling
Here we use a laser to remove bacteria and tartar from your tooth. Any tartar build-up beneath your gums can also be removed by scaling.
Using Antibiotics
Use of antibiotic mouthwash will effectively deal with mouth bacteria. These antibiotics control bacterial infections minimizing damage. You can also use antibiotic insertion gels to control bacterial infections.
Surgical Treatments
We do surgical treatments for patients with advanced periodontitis.These are the surgical treatment options we offer.
Soft Tissues Graft
Severe periodontitis causes loss of gum tissues.When this happens, soft graft tissue is the best treatment option. Tissues from other places in your mouth are used for reinforcement. Healthy tissue can also be sourced from a donor. Soft tissue graft covers any exposed root and stops gum recession.
Flap Surgery
Here our dentist lifts back some gum tissue for scaling. The dentist achieves this by making an incision in the gum. Root planning can also be effectively done after flap surgery.Maintaining a healthier gum tissue will prove easier after the procedure.
Bone Grafting
We only perform bone grafting when the bone surrounding your teeth is severely damaged. The grafting bone can be donated or part of your own bone. Bone grafting particularly aims at preventing tooth loss. Other surgical treatments include tissue regeneration and use of tissue stimulants.
- Periodontal Treatment Success Rate
Like we said before, the success rate depends on several factors. The overall success rate of both surgical and nonsurgical options is at around 87%.
Burton Dentistry
Reach out to us at Burton Dentistry if you need help in periodontics. We will ensure you get the right treatment.