From our earliest days, we’re told that maintaining a good dental hygiene routine is necessary to stop or slow the advance of tooth decay and gum disease. In spite of our best efforts, it’s entirely possible for gum disease to set in due to health concerns or simply missing areas where it takes hold. When this happens your dentist will work with you to eliminate its presence and restore your teeth to a healthy state. We’re going to cover traditional approaches to treating gum disease and talk about some of the latest innovations that are helping dentists restore your healthy smile.
Over 47% Of All Americans Over Age 30 Are Suffering From Periodontal Disease
How Your Dentist Tackles The Threat Of Gingivitis and Periodontal Disease
Depending on how severe your case of gingivitis is, your dentist may select one of a few different treatments to help restore your smile to health. Each of the techniques addresses a different set of concerns, and gets rid of the core cause of the problem. While each of these treatments will require the patient to maintain a set of steady dental hygiene practices to keep gum disease at bay. Additional treatments may also be required to restore your teeth to health, including root canals and restoration dentistry such as filling, inlays, and onlays.
- Professional Cleaning – This is the typical approach to treating gum disease. Through this process your dentist cleans the exposed portions of your teeth of plaque and tartar buildup using special tools. They follow it up by polishing your teeth to make it harder for these biofilms to reform.
- Scaling and Root Planing – When periodontal disease has advanced beyond simple inflamed gums more in-depth treatment may be necessary. Scaling and root planing is a process involving the careful removal of plaque and tartar from beneath your gum-lines. Once clear of these biofilms the roots are smoothed, or ‘planed’ to ensure the best chance of your gums and teeth healing.
- Pocket Reduction Surgery – When gum disease gets severe enough your gums will begin to pull away from your teeth. This surgery helps to reduce the pocketing and get your gums firmly back in contact with your teeth.
Other forms of treatment that are traditionally used to handle instances of gum disease include bone grafts, soft-tissue grafts, bone surgery, and guided tissue regeneration. These treatments are reserved for when gum disease has become so advanced that serious damage is being caused to oral structures.
Laser Technology Provides Surprising Options For Dental Care, Including Treating Gum Disease
New Technologies Join The Field
One of the latest innovations in treating gum disease is known as LANAP, an abbreviation for Laser-Assisted Regeneration. This process helps to improve results and reduce discomfort through the use of laser technology. It also has the benefit of stimulating the regrowth of gum and bone tissue following treatment.