What are the options for my gum infection?
Periodontal disease is a bacterial infection that gets under the gums and into the bone around your teeth. This infection must be removed and the area given a chance to heal. There are two generally accepted treatments for this depending upon the severity of your infection: non-surgical and surgical treatment.
Non-Surgical Treatment
The emphasis in our practice is conservative periodontal therapy. Many times, the early stages of periodontal disease are best treated with non-surgical periodontal therapy. This usually consists of placing a fine instrument between the tooth and gum tissue to remove any plaque and calculus below the gum line. This procedure is called root planing. Four to six weeks later, periodontal pockets are eliminated due to gum shrinkage. Then the patient can maintain these areas with routine brushing and flossing.
Even in most severe cases of periodontal disease, non-surgical periodontal therapy precedes surgical therapy. This is done so that the overall tissue quality is improved prior to surgery and also limits the areas of required surgery.
Treatment methods depend upon the type of disease and how far the condition has progressed. The first step is usually a thorough cleaning that may include scaling to remove plaque and tartar deposits beneath the gumline. The tooth roots may also be planed to smooth the root surface allowing the gum tissue to heal and reattach to the tooth. In some cases, the occlusion (bite) may require adjustment.
When deep pockets between teeth and gums are present, it is difficult to thoroughly remove plaque and tartar. Patients can seldom, if ever, keep these pockets clean and free of plaque. Consequently, surgery may be needed to restore periodontal health.
Surgical Treatment
This procedure gently separates the gum tissue from the tooth, creating a flap, and allows the careful cleaning of the infected periodontal pocket. This allows for the deep removal of dental plaque, calculus, and infected tissue, that is not otherwise accessible. It also reduces the size of the periodontal pocket, and therefore the areas where bacteria can grow. |
