Gingivitis and Periodontal Disease (Gum Disease) is a leading cause of tooth loss in adults. Plaques are the primary cause of gum disease. However, other factors can contribute to the periodontal disease such as smoking, poor oral hygiene habits such as not brushing and flossing on a daily basis.
Gum diseases many progress painlessly, producing few obvious signs, even in the late stages of the disease. The symptoms of gum disease include:
Red swollen or tender gums
Persistent bad breath or bad taste in the mouth
Receding gums
Formation of deep pockets between teeth and gum
Non-Surgical:
Our gum specialist will remove the plaque and tartar (plaque that build-up and hardens on the tooth surface and can only be removed with professional cleaning) from above and below the gum line of all teeth.
This is a deep cleaning, non-surgical procedure, done under local anesthetic, whereby plaque and tartar from above and below the gum line are scraped away (scaling) and rough spots on the tooth root are made smooth (planning).
Flap surgery / pocket reduction surgery. During this procedure, the gums are left back and the tartar is removed. In some cases, irregular surfaces of damaged bone are smoothened to limit areas where disease-causing bacteria can hide. The gums are then placed so that the tissue fits snugly around the tooth. This method reduces the size of the space between gums and tooth. Other Periodontal surgical treatment is also available at Dr. Prabhu Dental Clinic such as Bone Graft, Soft-Tissue Graft, Guided Tissue Regeneration, and Bone Surgery. With some patients, the non-surgical procedure of scaling and root planning is all that is needed to treat gum disease. Surgery is needed when the tissue around the teeth is unhealthy and cannot be repaired with non-surgical procedure.
After all types of Periodontal Treatment are done, a good follow-up is very important and patients should take better care of oral hygiene so that they can prevent further tooth loss.