Periodontics
Gum Treatment
Gum disease is caused by bacteria rich plaque and tartar on the teeth. This bacteria causes harmful chemicals to irritate the gums and cause bleeding. When the plaque is not effectively removed daily, gums become swollen and bleed, and over time gums pull away from teeth, causing periodontal pockets. These pockets then become an area for more plaque and tartar to build up and the problem can progress even further, resulting in teeth becoming loose This disease is closely associated with Heart Disease, Diabetes and Pre-term low birth weight infants when present in pregnant women.
Periodontal Treatment involves:
- Root Planing and Curettage (Deep Scaling)
- Periodontal Flap Surgery
- Bone Grafting
Periodontal treatment can also be done for cosmetic reasons and includes procedures such as:
- Root Coverage
- Crown Lengthening
Process and Duration
Our periodontist is a specialist dentist that only carries out advanced gum treatments, and can help to reverse the damage caused by gum disease. After a thorough consultation, a detailed plan is put together for your gum care. We use a latest treatment system to assist with gum treatment, that is non-invasive with very fast healing times. Duration varies and it depends on the severity of your gum disease.
How will I know if I have gum disease ?
- Swollen gums
- Bright red or purplish gums
- Gums that feel tender when touched
- Gums that pull away from your teeth (recede), making your teeth look longer than normal
- New spaces developing between your teeth
- Pus between your teeth and gums
- Bad breath
- Bad taste in your mouth or metallic taste
- Loose teeth
- A change in the way your teeth fit together when you bite
Can gum disease be treated ?
Treatment is based on controlling the bacteria. In most people the treatment aims to prevent the disease from getting worse and cannot reliably replace the support your teeth have already lost.
- The bacteria can be cleaned away from both above and below the gum line to reduce the gum inflammation (deep cleaning or root surface debridement). This is usually done with a local anaesthetic to make sure that this process is completely comfortable for you. It is like having a very thorough scale and polish
- You can be taught the best methods of cleaning your teeth and gums to remove the bacteria on a daily basis.
- These cleaning methods will be different for different people.
- If you have severe gum disease you may need to clean your teeth better than someone with less severe disease.
- Your response to treatment can be checked and monitored to make sure that the problem doesn’t reoccur.
- In some instances once all the gum inflammation has disappeared, a surgical procedure can be carried out to grow new bone and gum around the teeth
What are the benefits of treatment ?
- Any bleeding or swelling of the gums should reduce or disappear
- If your teeth are loose they should become firmer
- Your breath will become fresher