Show off your smile.
A Healthy Mouth; A Happy Smile.
The foundation of a strong, stable dentition is good periodontal health. “Periodontal” refers to the areas supporting our teeth, bone and gums. When these are in good abundance and free of disease, things work well for our teeth. The leading cause of tooth loss in adults is not decay, it’s gum disease (periodontitis). The main causes of periodontal disease are unchecked bacteria and lack of home care with regular professional maintenance. Like most diseases, periodontal disease has a hereditary component. If your parents and grandparents lost their teeth at an early age, you could also be at risk. That doesn’t mean you will lose your teeth, there’s much more awareness of gum disease nowadays and far better ways to prevent and treat it. In our practice, we begin by doing a thorough periodontal exam. This includes x-rays to check for bone levels and probing each tooth.
Probing is done by placing a tiny instrument with millimeter marks around 6 places on each tooth. Those measurements are recorded on a chart and serve as the best way to objectively evaluate the condition of the tissues. Where there are measurements of 4 mm or greater, those are called periodontal pockets. In cases where gum disease is present, we can perform a series of initial and deeper cleanings. Deep cleanings are done in 2-4 visits, using a local anesthetic gel that is applied to each area, it does not require injections. We also place a powder or gel type of antibiotic, specific for reducing gum infections in areas that are more affected than others. This medicament is absorbed over a 10 day period and can reduce the pockets. Most gum disease can be successfully treated this way and the need for periodontal surgeries and referral to a specialist is minimized.
