Periodontal treatment is one of the most important fields in dentistry as it maintains the health of your gums and tissues, which is the foundation of your oral health.
Periodontal treatment includes periodontal pocket surgery, crown lengthening, deep cleanings, bone and soft tissue grafting and gum reduction surgery.
What are the symptoms of periodontitis?
The symptoms depend on the stage of disease, but generally include:
- gums that bleed when you brush your teeth or floss
- bad breath
- changes in the position of your teeth or loose teeth
- receding gums
- red, tender, or swollen gums
- build-up of plaque or tartar on your teeth
- pain when chewing
- tooth loss
- foul taste in your mouth
- inflammatory response throughout your body
How is periodontitis treated?
Treatment is aimed at removing plaque and bacterial deposits on your teeth and gums.
Oral hygiene practices
Your dental care team will give you instructions on how to reduce the number of bacteria in your mouth, which involves keeping your teeth and gums clean. Your dentist will give you advice on how to use tooth brushes and dental floss properly, and may recommend other oral hygiene products like a water pick or mouthwash.
Here are a few tips for keeping your teeth healthy:
- Brush your teeth twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste.
- Consider using an electric toothbrush, which may be more effective.
- Floss at least once a day to remove plaque.
- Visit your dentist at least twice a year for a professional cleaning.
- Don’t smoke or chew tobacco.
Professional cleaning
During a professional cleaning, your dentist will remove plaque buildup and tartar from your teeth and their roots, and then polish your teeth and treat them with fluoride. Any periodontal pockets that have formed could require deep cleaning to enable healing. A deep-cleaning method called scaling and root planning will help scrape off tartar and also remove any rough spots on the tooth root where bacteria tend to gather.
Antibiotics
In some cases, your dentist will prescribe antibiotics to help with persistent gum infections that haven’t responded to cleanings. The antibiotic might be in the form of a mouthwash, gel, or an oral tablet or capsule.
Follow-up appointments
Your dentist will want to follow up with you after a few weeks, and then about every three to six months after that to assess your progress. If periodontal pockets are still present, they may recommend other treatment options, like surgery.
Flap Surgery
If inflammation persists in sites that are inaccessible to brushing and flossing, your dentist may recommend a surgical procedure called flap surgery to clean deposits under your gums. Under local anesthesia, your gums are lifted away and the roots of your teeth cleaned. Your gums are then sutured (stitched) back into place.
If you’ve had any bone loss, a procedure known as bone grafting may be done at the same time as flap surgery to regenerate the lost bone.