Periodontal Disease Therapy

Periodontal disease, which is informally known as gum disease, can cause problems beyond having bad breath or an unattractive smile. Although it’s common, most people don’t realize they have it until the advanced stages. At that point, it can cause infection and inflammation in the gums as well as the jawbone. Fortunately, we have the tools at Alpha Dental to detect gum disease early and devise a treatment strategy to reverse it.

What is Gingivitis?

When a patient is in the earliest stages of periodontal disease, Dr. Ahmed will diagnose him or her with gingivitis. If you have gingivitis, the best things you can do are brush and floss your teeth at least twice a day and come in for your scheduled preventive check-ups. Your dentist may also recommend tooth planing, which is a form of deep cleaning, to cure your gingivitis. If the space between your gums and teeth is more than four millimeters, gum disease can start invading the soft tissue and bone. In this case, you will require a more aggressive form of treatment for periodontal disease.

Variations of Periodontal Disease

Once you have progressed beyond gingivitis and have full-blown gum disease, Dr. Ahmed will categorize it into one of these four types:

• Aggressive Periodontitis: Most people who develop aggressive periodontis have no other health problems besides gum disease. Gum attachment and bone destruction are some of the symptoms of this type of periodontis.
• Chronic Periodontitis: With chronic gum disease, inflammation spreads beyond the gums to the teeth’s supporting tissues. This results in deep pockets, recession of the gums, and exposure of the tooth root. People with chronic periodontis may appear to have teeth that are longer than normal.
• Necrotizing Periodontitis: Also called trench mouth, this occurs when an infection destroys the ligaments that keep teeth attached to their sockets. It can cause significant tooth loss when left untreated.
• Systemic Disease Periodontitis: This type of gum disease is most prevalent in people of any age who already have diabetes or heart disease. However, having gum disease can also increase the risk for developing those diseases.

Possible Treatment Methods for Periodontal Disease

Depending on the severity of your gum disease, Dr. Ahmed may recommend one or more of the following:

• Dental Implants: If you have lost teeth to gum disease in spite of your best prevention efforts, replacing them with dental implants and non-removable dentures is an option.
• Flap Surgery: Also called pocket elimination surgery, your dentist uses this procedure to reduce the size of existing gum pockets. Jaw surgery may be required for severe infections.
• Root Planing and Scaling: For cases of gingivitis, your dentist uses this procedure to remove tartar and plaque from your teeth. One way to prevent them from returning is to use a medicated mouthwash.
• Tissue Regeneration: A collagen membrane injected into infected gums allows healthy gum tissue to grow in its place.

If you’re concerned about possible periodontal disease, don’t hesitate to contact us at Alpha Dental for assistance.