How can gum disease be treated effectively?

Gum diseases have been the leading cause of missing teeth in individuals above the age of 35. Such is the severity of gum diseases such as gingivitis and periodontitis, which have the ability to put the entire oral health in danger. This is why several advancements in the field of dentistry are aimed at finding better ways to treat gum diseases.

What is periodontitis?

Periodontitis is one of the most complicated oral conditions out there. It starts as mild inflammation of the gum tissues and gradually intensifies with time. The mild gum infection turns into gingivitis, characterized by the decay of tissues, release of pus, pain, swelling in the gums, etc. When the microbes in the decayed tissues keep multiplying, the condition turns into periodontitis, resulting in many devastating symptoms. It compromises oral health to a large extent and is infamously known to be incurable.

What causes periodontitis?

• Accumulated plaque and tartar: Plaque is the thin, invisible layer of microbes that forms on the surface of the teeth. When plaque isn't removed regularly, it turns into a hard, sticky substance called tartar or calculus. It is composed of thousands of bacteria that feed off the food debris in the mouth. They are the significant causes of gum diseases as they release acids that can decay the soft tissues of the mouth.
• External trauma to the mouth:When the mouth sustains an external injury, it can damage the gum tissues and expose them to the mouth's microbes. This further leads to infections and more severe conditions when left untreated.
• Root canal infection:A root canal infection is a condition where the pulp of the tooth is infected due to cavities or damage. When it gets severe, the infection can spread to the gums and jawbone as well.

Apart from these, factors such as smoking, consumption of alcohol, diabetes, bruxism, etc., can also have a significant impact on gum diseases.

Treatment

When you visit our practice for gum disease treatment, we would visually examine your oral setup and perform scans to determine the severity of the condition. As an immediate relief, the accumulated plaque and tartar will be removed from the surface of the teeth and the roots as well. We do this by scaling and root planing procedures. Next, the decayed gum tissues should be removed to halt the spread of the infection. This is done using laser gum therapy, where a high-intensity laser is used to vaporize the tissues. It instantly seals the wound and prevents any bleeding, thereby reducing pain and discomfort to a huge extent.

We use Arestin to control the spread of the infection and to heal the wounds left by it. The powerful antibiotic will be placed in the gum pockets, on the infected tissues, and between the gums and the tooth roots. Along with this, appropriate medication will be prescribed by the dentist to make sure the infection is kept under control.

If the gums have receded dangerously below the gum line, we may suggest a gum graft. In this procedure, we will extract healthy soft tissues from the palate and graft them to the receded area, which may take a few weeks to fuse with the existing tissues.

Please schedule a consultation with Dr. Stein by calling us or reaching us through an online query, and we'll be happy to guide you further.