Central Florida Periodontics Can Help You Love Your Smile with Periodontal Treatment Orlando, FL
Periodontal disease is a name for the group of gum infections that vary in severity. These infections gradually destroy your gums, supporting gum tissue, and the bone that holds teeth in place – leading to tooth loss and a spoiled smile.
An estimated 42% of dentate U.S. adults 30 years or older had periodontitis, with 7.8% having severe periodontitis, according to The Journal of the American Dental Association. Dental plaque is the primary cause of gum disease, and the bacteria found in plaque produces gum-irritating toxins that cause them to turn red, swell, and bleed. Prolonged irritation causes the gums to separate from the teeth, and the plaque can harden into calculus (or tartar).
That’s where we come in – Central Florida Periodontics can help with periodontal treatment, Orlando, FL!
Preventing and Treating Periodontal Disease
Central Florida Periodontics wants you to know that the best way to prevent periodontal disease and cavities is by thorough daily tooth brushing and flossing. This routine helps to keep dental calculus to a minimum. Regular professional examinations and cleanings can help defend against periodontal disease and intervene to prevent the disease’s progress. Professional cleanings are often the first defense, and this periodontal treatment will help to remove calculus where your toothbrush and floss may have missed.
Conventional periodontal therapy calls for scaling and root planing. These non-surgical therapies are the most commonly used and most effective periodontal treatments for less severe, early-stage periodontal disease.
Scaling is the deep cleaning of the patient’s teeth to the roots. This step removes plaque, tartar, and bacterial overload so inflamed gums can heal and shrink. Root planing is the smoothing of teeth surfaces, as plaque and tartar are more likely to attach to rough surfaces. This process helps gums heal faster and allows gum tissue to reattach to the teeth.
After scaling and root planing, Arestin (minocycline hydrochloride) is applied directly in the infected areas of your gums. This antibiotic goes to work quickly, killing the bacteria causing periodontal infection, and continues to fight bacteria for 30 days.
In extreme cases, bone grafting may be an option to regrow lost bone and periodontal architecture. Another treatment option is laser periodontal therapy. This treatment generally is done after cleaning the gum pocket and involves using a special laser light that removes diseased gum tissue and surrounding bacteria. Laser periodontal therapy is an excellent choice as it allows patients to heal quickly, prevents new germs, expedites the process of the gums reattaching to the teeth, and does not involve cutting the gums.
Cosmetic Periodontal Surgery
While, often, surgery is the recommended treatment for periodontal disease, there are some ways we can help your smile cosmetically with cosmetic surgery, which includes gum grafts, gum reshaping, crown lengthening, and ridge preservation. These procedures can help prevent gum recession and cover damaged surfaces of the root.
Gum grafts are done to reduce gum recession and also to cover and protect tooth roots. A periodontist will use donor gum tissue and surgically attach it to the areas of the mouth experiencing gum recession.
Gum reshaping reduces gum overgrowth or hypertrophication (excessive atrophy or deterioration), and the gum tissue is re-contoured by a periodontist.
Crown lengthening is the process of reshaping excess bone and gum tissue to expose more of the patient’s natural tooth. This procedure may also be used to address smaller areas (targeting some teeth rather than the entire gum line).
Ridge preservation is used after teeth extraction to prevent jawbone atrophy. This procedure involves using bone grafting to support a newly empty tooth socket.
If Central Florida Periodontics can help you love your smile with periodontal treatment in Orlando, FL, contact us today to schedule an appointment.
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