Your gums snugly fit around your teeth like protective gear. However, when periodontal disease attacks your gums, it destroys your supporting tissue, causing it to create pockets around your teeth. Eventually, the pockets deepen, creating space for bacteria to accumulate and grow beneath your gum tissue, resulting in bone and tissue loss. Unfortunately, tooth loss may force your teeth to loosen. According to Dr. Dr. Maham Siddiqui, periodontal disease is reversible. There are various treatment options like gum grafting to prevent the infection from advancing, negatively impacting your overall health.
What are the various treatments for periodontal disease?
There is a wide range of options your doctor may recommend to help address the disease. Your options can be:
- Cosmetic treatments
- Non-surgical options
- Surgical treatments
- Dental implants
There are several forms of gum disease. However, the most common forms you are likely to suffer from include:
- Chronic gingivitis
- Chronic periodontitis
- Aggressive periodontitis
- Necrotizing periodontal disease
Treatments options for advanced gum diseases include:
Non-surgical treatments options
Scaling and root planing (SRP) is usually the first recommendation your healthcare provider will recommend. With special equipment, the conservative approach prompts your doctor to scrape and eliminate plaque and tartar from your teeth. After removing the dirt, your periodontist will smooth rough edges on your roots to minimize the risk of bacteria slipping in. However, you might need more than a single dental visit to complete the treatments. The best part of the treatment is that your gums will heal after a successful procedure, causing them to reattach to the healthy and clean surfaces of your teeth. You might not need other treatments like scaling and root planing. However, you might need ongoing maintenance appointments to help enhance your gums’ health.
Clearing abscess/
Advanced gum disease is likely to cause periodontal abscess, which appears as swollen lesions on your gum line. Contact your healthcare provider immediately if you experience sudden sharp pain on your gums because time is an essence with gum disease. Clearing the abscess entails draining the abscess from your pockets and cleaning them, thus ridding your gums of bacteria. Your dentist may also prescribe antibiotics to help clear the infection.
Regenerative procedures
Your dentist will most likely recommend a regenerative treatment when the periodontal disease affects the bone holding your teeth in position. Regenerative processes reverse the damage on your gums by regenerating your lost bone. During the treatment, your dentist folds back your gum tissue, exposing and removing the bacteria. The medical professional can then use tissue-stimulating proteins or grafts to trigger your body to regenerate tissue and bone.
Gum grafting
Gum diseases can expose your tooth’s roots because of gum recession. The treatment entails harvesting gum tissue from your palate or a different source and using it to cover your roots. Covering your exposed roots minimizes sensitivity, protecting them from decay. Additionally, gum grafting halts gum recession and bone loss.
Your smile is among the first things people will notice about you. Unfortunately, dental issues like a gummy smile may prevent you from showing off your beautiful smile. Do not let periodontal disease affect your smile when you can seek professional help from your dentist.
