Periodontal Treatment – All You Need to Know

Periodontal Treatment – All You Need to Know

Nov 01, 2019

Periodontal treatment falls in a discipline of medicine, dentistry. The treatment is usually for a disease of the gums called periodontitis. Before you schedule for periodontal treatment in Raleigh, it is important to know more about periodontitis and whether or not you have the disease.

What is Periodontitis?

It is an infection of the gum that damages the soft tissues as well as the bones supporting the teeth. The disease worsens after a gum disease called gingivitis. With time, if you do not seek for Raleigh periodontal treatment, the infection can worsen. The alveolar bone of the teeth gradually gets damaged and is lost.

What causes periodontitis?

The name periodontitis means inflammation around the teeth. The inflammation happens as a response of the body to the infection in your mouth. Ideally, when too much bacteria accumulate in the mouth, it eats on the gums forming large gum pockets. As a response, the body’s immune system releases toxins, which then result in the inflammation.

In most cases, periodontitis is a result of poor oral hygiene. If you are not up to pace with brushing your teeth every day and flossing, then you are susceptible to the disease. Without proper oral hygiene, bacteria from the combination of saliva and food residues to form a sticky substance. The substance is called plaque. It sticks on teeth and between them. With time, plaque build-up can result in tartar. This can only be removed by a dentist near you. The plaque causes an infection on the surrounding tissues of the teeth and the gum. This is how periodontitis begins. At this point, you have to schedule for periodontal treatment near you, especially given the discomfort you get from the infection.

Diagnosis

A dentist in Raleigh diagnoses your oral health through a dental exam. The process involves examining your mouth to check for plaque or tartar. Some of the give-away signs of plaque buildup are, bad breathe and a sticky substance on your teeth. Other things that a Raleigh dentist will check include:

  • The pocket depth of your gums – the distance between your gums and the crown of your tooth should not be exaggerated. The normal pocket depth of a healthy mouth should be between 1 and 3 millimeters (mm). Anything deeper than that can indicate periodontitis.
  • Dental x-rays – an x-ray of your mouth is necessary to diagnose your condition. A dentist in Raleigh NC will take an x-ray to examine the condition of the bone loss in a case of periodontitis.
  • Medical history – patients who smoke have higher cases of gum disease than those that do not. Any dentist in 27617 has to find out the underlying cause of your disease. This process will help identify other factors that could be contributing to your infection other than plaque build-up.

Periodontal treatment

After diagnosis and it is certain that you have periodontitis, periodontal treatment has to commence as soon as possible. Different people can offer you the required treatment, depending on how severe your case is. Examples of such medical practitioners are periodontist, a dentist or a dental hygienist. The treatment for this disease can either be surgical or nonsurgical. Your doctor will perform one or more of the following treatments:

  • Scaling – Scaling is a treatment for getting rid of the plaque in the teeth. Lasers or ultrasonic devices are used for this procedure.
  • Root planning – root planning helps smoothen out the root surfaces of teeth. This helps to prevent further build-up of tartar or plaque. The process also helps get rid of any bacteria that could be causing inflammation and discouraging healing of the gums.
  • Antibiotics – they are prescribed to help fight and control infection on patients. They vary in nature. You can take oral antibiotics or use antibiotic mouth rinses. In other cases, an antibiotic gel can be placed between affected teeth. This is usually after deep cleaning.
  • Pocket reduction surgery – when the gum pockets are extremely flappy, pocket reduction surgery is necessary.
  • Soft tissue grafts – this treatment is necessary for patients who have lost too much gum tissue. This can cause receding of the gum line too far from the teeth.
  • Bone grafting – bone grafts are useful to replace the surrounding bones of the teeth that have been extremely damaged by the infection.
    If you suspect any plaque buildup, rush to your dentist before it is too late!

We are offering excellent dental care for every patient who needs general and cosmetic dentistry. Proudly accepting patients from the following surrounding areas:

  • ACC Blvd
  • TW Alexander Dr
  • Brier Creek Pkwy
  • Umstead
  • Bethesda
  • Clegg
  • Oak Grove
  • Northwest Raleigh
  • Genlee
  • North Raleigh