High Quality Gum Disease Treatment Options At Burke Dental

Periodontal disease is an inflammatory disease that affects the gums and other surrounding tissue and structures that support your teeth. It is caused by a buildup of plaque and tartar and when left untreated, can result in painful, bleeding gums and potentially tooth, bone, and tissue loss.

Periodontal disease treatments are available for those experiencing periodontal problems. If you notice painful, swollen, or bleeding gums, call us for a consultation. Like all dental issues, the longer periodontal disease is left unchecked, the more damage it can cause until eventually only drastic solutions are available.

With periodontal disease, there are a few types of conditions that affect the gums and tissue of the mouth. These conditions, arranged in order of increasing severity of the problem, comprise a patient being diagnosed with gingivitis, periodontitis, or advanced periodontitis depending on the progression of the disease.

Understanding Periodontics

In keeping up with our oral hygiene with brushing and flossing, we often fail to give much thought to our gums unless a painful problem arises. However, the gums and other surrounding structures that give vital support to the teeth are crucial in maintaining oral health. The periodontal support system keeps everything in place as it should be and it is more complex than it seems.

The periodontal support system is known collectively as the periodontium and consists of several separate structures. Besides the gums (or gingiva), there is also the periodontal ligament which essentially connects tooth to bone, the cementum which covers the root of the tooth, and the alveolar bone which is the portion of the facial bones that hold your teeth in place. This important system is how your teeth remain functional.

Just like a tooth, the periodontal system can accumulate a buildup of plaque, tartar, debris, and bacteria which, in this case, leads to tissue infection instead of tooth decay.

What are My Options for Gum Disease? Is it Curable?

Periodontal disease can be avoided with preventative steps, but when periodontal issues do occur, we will always have you covered at Burke Dental. There are a few options for treating the disease and some may be used in combination to combat the problem. When a patient undergoes treatment for periodontal disease, there is usually a fast recovery time with very little inconvenience. Furthermore, depending on the state of the gums and mouth and assuming regular oral hygiene is resumed after treatment, the affected area should stabilize.

When facing gum disease, we offer the following treatments:

  • Crown Lengthening
  • Pocket Irrigation
  • Deep Dental Cleaning

How Exactly Does Periodontal Disease Affect My Gums?

As mentioned above, there are a few different conditions that may arise from periodontal disease and can affect the gums to different extents. Gingivitis is inflammation of the gums and can be painful, but it has not yet progressed into periodontitis. If left untreated, gingivitis progresses and begins to pull the gums from the teeth, creating troublesome “pockets” that readily collect bacteria and bits of food.

Periodontitis can progress to an advanced stage where the pockets become larger and larger and bacteria continues to weaken the gums, bones, and connective tissue. At this point, tooth, tissue, and/or bone loss can begin to occur. Untreated advanced periodontitis is the leading cause of adult tooth loss.

Crown Lengthening

Crown lengthening is a process that is carefully and gently performed to increase the amount of visible tooth area by decreasing the amount of existing gum tissue. A regular dental cleaning may be required beforehand so that the mouth is clean and free of excessive bacteria for the lengthening procedure.

Crown lengthening may be done for a few different reasons. When it comes to periodontal disease treatment, lengthening of the crowns can allow for easier removal of plaque and tartar that has progressed below the gumline. This procedure may also be helpful in aiding in the application of (artificial) crowns or for it may be performed for cosmetic purposes.

Pocket Irrigation

Gum pockets are formed when plaque and tartar progresses and accumulates below the gumline. Spaces between the gums and teeth will become larger, thus creating ideal spots for the growth and collection of bacteria. This issue will continue to advance if left untreated. Eventually, this problem can result in tooth, tissue, or even bone loss.

Pocket irrigation is a way to clean below the gumline. Even in healthy mouths without periodontal disease, there is some natural space between the gums and the teeth. The process of pocket irrigation can benefit anyone. It is a simple procedure that uses pressurized water flow that may be combined with an antimicrobial agent to clean out these spaces and may be performed prior to another periodontal disease treatment or alongside regular routine cleanings.

Deep Dental Cleaning

A Deep Dental Cleaning, most often performed by a dental hygienist, refers to a procedure performed to treat periodontal disease. A special dental probing instrument can be used to measure the amount of gum pocketing to determine if a deep dental cleaning is needed.

The deep cleaning procedure, known as scaling and root planing, is straightforward and performed with a gentle touch to avoid discomfort or irritation. Scaling and root planing is the removal of tartar and plaque from the teeth and from below the gumline, within the gum pockets. We sometimes schedule a second appointment with patients after a scaling and root planing procedure to ensure that the gums are healing and pocket depth has stopped increasing.

Call Burke Dental for a Periodontal Treatment Appointment Today!

Turn to Burke Dental for your periodontal treatment needs. We offer fantastic work with a gentle touch. You can schedule an appointment quickly online, or call us during normal hours at (703) 940-9410.