Waterford Dental
Periodontal Disease Treatment
Periodontal Treatment
Getting your teeth cleaned at least twice a year will keep your gums and teeth functional, healthy, and looking good! Our hygienists will remove the dental plaque and tartar from your teeth. Yes, brushing and flossing at home definitely helps keep your teeth healthy, but only a dental professional can remove some forms of the bacteria from your teeth.
What is gum disease?
If you notice bleeding gums, bad breath or larger spacing between your teeth, that is a sign you should tell your dental hygienist about. Periodontal disease occurs when plaque and calculus (tartar) build up below the gumline, causing the gum tissue to become irritated and inflamed. Without treatment, the bacteria in the plaque starts to destroy the supportive bone structure and ligaments that hold your teeth in place, leading to tooth loss. The first stage of gum disease – gingivitis – can usually be reversed, but because the symptoms are so mild, many patients don’t notice a problem until it’s too late. If you have inflammation and bleeding gums with zero bone loss, we can do a series of gingivitis cleanings to help you reverse your gingivitis.
Once gum disease progresses to the more advanced stage – periodontitis – it becomes a chronic condition that a patient will need to manage for the rest of their life.
What causes gum disease?
Gum disease is a result of plaque (which contains harmful bacteria) sitting on your teeth, next to your gums for an extended period of time. Consistent and proper brushing, flossing and routine visits to your dentist, are all necessary to prevent gum disease.
Besides causing tooth loss, gum disease also has many detrimental effects on your overall health. Studies have shown that gum disease puts you at an increased risk for heart disease, stroke, uncontrolled diabetes and poor pregnancy outcomes.
Once your gingivitis progresses into periodontitis, periodontal therapy is necessary. Also known as a deep cleaning or scaling and root planing, this procedure is designed to reduce the population of harmful bacteria in your mouth and minimize discomfort from gum disease symptoms. During this appointment we remove the tartar from below the gumline with an ultrasonic cleaner, disrupt pathogenic bacteria, and gently smooth the roots of the teeth, making plaque less likely to gather on them in the future.
Our trained hygienists at Waterford Dental can incorporate dental laser treatments, also known as Laser Bacterial Reduction. Your hygienist will use the laser to access and remove the inflamed gum tissue from around your tooth’s root. After laser therapy, your mouth will need time to heal and regenerate. During this healing process, your gums will tighten back up around your tooth!
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