Bacteria in the dental plaque is considered the main etiologic (cause) factor in periodontal (gum) diseases and loss of alveolar bone. This leads to tooth mobility and deep periodontal pockets. Healthy gum (periodontal) tissue protects your teeth from diseases and helps produce a great smile. When you experience gum tissue loss around your teeth it can be the beginning of serious oral health problems.
How To Know You Have Gum Tissue Problems
- Bleeding on brushing your teeth
- Gum tissue that looks reddish and bleed on touching or on masticating
- Longer looking teeth
- Loose teeth
- Sensitivity/ pain on drinking hot or cold drinks
- Bad breath (Halitosis) / bad taste
- Swollen gum tissues
- Pus or whitish discharge from the gums.
- Aggressive brushing
- Anatomical susceptibility
How Gum Diseases Are Treated
Fortunately we can perform predictable procedures fro reversing these problems. There are several treatment procedures for different conditions.
1. Non – Surgical Treatments
Sealing and Polishing – A procedure of basically cleaning the teeth/ gums using hand instrument or ultrasonic scalar and polishing with special dental brushes and denitrifice.
Root Planning- Careful cleaning of the root surfaces to remove plague and tartar (calculus) from the deep periodontal pockets and to smooth the tooth root to remove material toxins.
Medications
Local delivering.
Systemic Delivery. This is determined on case by case basis
2. Periodontal Surgery.
If the diagnosis of your condition warrants surgery, there are two surgical approach to this
- Surgical Treatment for periodontal pocket reduction
- Surgical Treatment for periodontal tissues reparation. Most of the time, surgical procedure is preceded by non-surgical treatment.
- Treatment of Gum Recession . This treatment involves connective tissue grafts and surgical grafts, to cover the exposed root of the tooth/teeth. During this procedure a healthy gum tissue from another site in the mouth is used to restore the tissue in the area of recession.
- Crown Lengthening (functional). This is a procedure in which the dentist adjusts the gum and bone level to expose more of the tooth, so that it can be restored.
Cosmetic Periodontal Procedures
This is a procedure in which excess gum and bone tissues are reshaped to expose more of the natural tooth or teeth. This can be done to one tooth to even the gum hill or to several teeth to expose a natural broad smile.
Other advanced treatments like
- Reestablishing lost tooth attachment with synthetically manufactured agents like GEM 215x Alloderm
- GUM grafts etc.