Gentle Dentistry

Not everyone needs gum therapy, but if you do, we want you to know what to expect. But always remember, preventive medicine is the best medicine in this case. We recommend brushing your teeth 3x a day and flossing everyday.
 
The four traditional ways to treat gum disease is with deep cleaning under the gums, gum surgery, bone grafts, and antibiotics. Now, there is ultrasonic and laser cleaning. At Gentle Dentistry we use ultrasonic deep cleaning or scaling.
 
Periodontal or gum disease is an infection that causes bleeding gums, bad breath, loose teeth, and teeth that fall out.
 
Plaque is a bacterial film that continuously forms around the teeth and gums. Plague causes gum disease. If plaque isn’t removed, it hardens into calculus, also called tartar. This is why it is so important to brush and floss your teeth regularly. Gum disease is suffered by an estimated 56 million people in America and is the main reason that people lose their teeth.
 
Depending on the level of advancement of the disease, the treatment will change accordingly.
 
Gingivitis, is the only stage of gum disease that can be cured as it is the earliest stage of gum disease. Gingivitis can be cured with improved oral hygiene, which includes brushing properly at least three times a day, for about three minutes each time, and flossing at least once a day. Antiseptic mouth rinses such as Listerine can also help eliminate gingivitis.
 
Early gum disease is treated with a procedure known as scaling and root planing. Thin curettes (a surgical instrument shaped like a scoop to remove tissue from a bodily cavity) are used to gently remove the plaque (a sticky substance, full of bacteria) and tartar under the gum-line. Root planning is the smoothing of tooth roots, to make it more difficult for plaque to adhere to them in the future. While this procedure is very rarely painful, some patients prefer local anesthesia to numb the area prior to treatment. The gums will heal in a few weeks.
 
Scaling is the removal of calculus (commonly called tartar) and plaque that attach to the tooth surfaces. The process especially targets the area below the gum line, along the root. Within a few weeks, and usually appear healthy and tighter.  
 
Prior to ultrasonic scaling, moderate to advanced gum disease traditionally required surgery. Now, with the advent of ultrasonic scaling, most calculus removal can be done without the need for surgery. Ultrasonic scaling consists of a wand with a small scaling tip that produces a soft ultrasonic vibration. The small, quick vibrations in combination with a water flow give us a whole new level of effectiveness in calculus removal.
 
With ultrasonic scaling we have noticed an increased efficiency of calculus removal, less need for hand scaling of stubborn deposits, more comfortable access to the root surfaces, thanks to the small tip.
 
This usually takes a few appointments to complete as only one side is done at a time.
 
If there are vertical areas of bone loss, the dentist may consider a bone graft. The grafting material is placed into the area of bone loss, and a membrane is used to cover the graft. The gum is then stitched up, and bubble gum like packing is placed over the area. There may be varying degrees of discomfort, after the anesthesia wears off. If needed, your dentist may prescribe narcotic pain medication and/or antibiotics. Discomfort may persist for a few days.
 
If a graft was used, the patient may have to wait six weeks for removal of the graft membrane and specialized stitches.
 
The goal of surgical gum treatment is to bring the gums back to a level where most of the plague is removed by when brushing or flossing by the patient.
 
Even though there is no cure for gum disease, appropriate gum treatment by your dentist can greatly reduce the likelihood of losing your teeth at an early age. Gum treatments can double the life expectancy of a tooth. And, as stated above, preventive medicine in this case is the best !