Periodontal Treatment

The ultimate goal of periodontal (gum) treatment is to get the patient’s gum tissue and underlying bone back to a healthy state and keeping it that way. There are different types of periodontal treatment that are used in various combinations to help achieve this goal. Two of the most common and effective periodontal treatments provided at Family Dental Group are outlined below.

Scaling and Root Planning

Scaling and root planning is the mechanical removal of plaque and tartar from the surfaces of the teeth above and below the gum line. This may be done using sharp scaling hand instruments, or with scaling tips that vibrate ultrasonically. Often times, a combination of both techniques is employed. The surfaces of the roots are planed to make them as smooth as possible to reduce bacterial attachment and promote reattachment of gum tissue. For more severe cases, local anesthetic may be necessary to ensure patient comfort during the process, and treatments may be spread out over a number of appointments such that one quarter or one half of the mouth is focused on at a time. For patients with weaker immune systems or very aggressive bacterial infection, taking antibiotics for a few weeks after treatment may be recommended in order to reduce the number of bacteria that can survive and repopulate the gum pockets.

Pocket-Reduction Therapy

During this form of treatment, the gums are lifted back, and the root surfaces can be carefully cleaned of all tartar buildup that could previously not be seen. In some cases, irregular surfaces of the damaged bone are smoothed in order to limit the areas where disease-causing bacteria can hide. The gums are then placed back so that they fit more snugly around the teeth and in a slightly higher position compared to before. Once healing has occurred, the teeth may look longer and there may be larger spaces between the teeth, but personal oral hygiene will be much easier to perform and maintain. In the long term, the chance of inflammation and infection returning will be greatly reduced

Both of these treatments can succeed in stemming the damage caused by periodontal disease including the loss of gum tissue and bone. If given the chance, the tissue and bone will typically regenerate itself so long as proper oral hygiene is maintained. The level of success of these procedures will depend on the damage experienced before the treatments and the level of aftercare performed by the patient. It is crucial to one’s dental health that any periodontal disease, even the early stages which can be difficult to detect be promptly and effectively treated. If left untreated, periodontal disease will lead to problem after problem for the patient and will in many cases lead to multiple tooth loss and years of costly restorative treatment. It is our goal here at Family Dental Group to everything possible to keep this from happening to our patients.

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