Periodontal Treatment in Tulsa, OK

How Can I Address My Periodontitis With Periodontal Therapy?

Brushing your teeth twice a day and following a balanced diet should be enough to keep your teeth gums and healthy. If you are dealing with a more serious health issue, though, you may require treatment.

What Is Periodontitis and How Do You Avoid Periodontal Treatment?

Periodontitis, known by its common name gum disease, is an infection that damages the gum's soft tissue. Left untreated, it can lead to the destruction of the bone responsible for supporting your teeth. This can lead to tooth loss.

Although gum disease is common, you can prevent it. Poor oral hygiene is usually the cause of periodontitis. When you brush your teeth twice a day and go for regular dental checkups, you have a high chance of avoiding gum disease.

When to Get Periodontal Therapy

Smoking and dry mouth can sometimes contribute to the development of gum disease. Check to see if you have any plaque or tartar buildup. Easy bleeding is a sure sign that you may be dealing with periodontitis.

If your mouth is healthy, the pocket between your gums and teeth should be 1 to 3 millimeters. If it is deeper than 4 mm, you may have periodontitis. Dental X-rays are a great way to find out if the parts of the gum with the deeper pockets have any bone loss.

The Periodontal Treatment Plan

Treatment involves thoroughly cleaning the pockets. This stops the degradation of the surrounding bone. Maintaining a daily oral hygiene routine is your best bet for success. Also, avoid bad habits that can damage your teeth, like indulging in tobacco.

Nonsurgical Options for Periodontal Treatment

If your gum disease has not advanced all that much, you may not need surgery for your periodontal treatment. Scaling can be used to remove tartar from the surface of your teeth as well as underneath your gums. This can be done with a laser or ultrasonic device.

Another option is root planing. This is when the root surfaces are smoothed as a way to discourage bacteria and tartar buildup. This reduces inflammation so the gum can heal and reattach to the tooth.

Both topical and oral antibiotics can be used against bacterial infection in periodontal therapy. Topical antibiotics can come in the form of mouth rinses or gels to put between your gums, teeth, and pockets once you have done a deep cleaning. To thoroughly rid your mouth of bacteria that cause infection, oral antibiotics are your best bet.

Surgical Options for Periodontal Therapy

Advanced periodontitis may mean you have to have surgery for periodontal therapy. One option is flap surgery. With this procedure, tiny incisions are cut into the gum to expose the roots so they can be scaled and root planed properly.

If there is some bone loss, the remaining bone needs to be recontoured, and the gum tissue is stitched into place. Once you have healed from the surgery, you will find that it is easier to clean your teeth and gums.

If your gumline recedes, you may need soft tissue grafts to reinforce the soft tissue. These grafts can come from the roof of your mouth. You can also get them from a donor source. This will prevent the gum from receding more and will be useful in covering exposed roots.

Bone grafting is a necessary procedure if periodontitis destroys the bone around the tooth root. The graft is made up of fragments of your bone, synthetic bone, or donor's bone. Not only will it keep your tooth in place, but it will also serve as a basis for your natural bone to grow back.

Bone that has been destroyed by bacteria can be regrown in a process called guided tissue regeneration. In this process, biocompatible fabric is placed between the bone and tooth. This prevents other tissue from getting into the area, and the bone is able to grow back together.

The last process that will be discussed is applying a gel containing tissue-stimulating proteins to the root of the diseased tooth. These proteins stimulate healthy bone and tissue growth.