If you have red and bleeding gums, then you may need treatment to manage periodontal disease. Without treatment, this could lead to a stage known as periodontitis, which then causes adult tooth loss. But your Brooklyn, NY, periodontist and dental implant expert can help with periodontic treatment!
The Risks Posed by Periodontal Disease
When we develop periodontal disease, which impacts half of adults over the age of 30 according to studies from the Centers for Disease Control, this will grow in severity with time. Eventually, you will reach a stage known as periodontitis, during which the attachment tissues between your teeth and gums become severed to cause adult tooth loss. In fact, this is the number one cause of adult tooth loss! Which is why we urge people with symptoms to contact our team for periodontic treatment, so we can help save their smiles.
How the Issue Forms
How does the disease form in our smiles? First, factors have inflamed the gums, which can cause soreness and sensitivity. Over time, the inflammation could cause the tissues to pull away from the teeth to form pockets along the gum line. Disease-causing bacteria then enter these pockets, which causes periodontal disease. The factors behind your inflammation can include the presence of plaque and tartar buildup, lack of proper brushing and flossing, infrequent visits for cleanings, and tobacco use. A family history of poor periodontal health could be a factor, as could inflammatory illnesses like diabetes or even the use of certain medications. As part of your treatment, we will examine your smile to assess the causes of the disease, so we can choose the right periodontic treatment to keep your smile intact!
The Warning Signs
How do you know if you have periodontal issues that need attention? Warning signs could vary, but in the early stages people often encounter soreness and redness in the gums. As the issue increases in severity. You could encounter bleeding when you brush or floss, or possibly swelling. In the more advanced stages, the tissues could pull away, receding to make teeth appear longer. This exposes portions of the roots not protected by enamel, so the risk of tooth sensitivity and aches increase too. When you have any changes to your gums, please see our team right away for a diagnosis!
Diagnosing Your Smile
How do we conduct a diagnosis? Our team will take a look at the surfaces of your gums and teeth with an intraoral camera, so we can assess inflammation and any damage to the tooth structure. We then look beneath the gums with a digital x-ray, so we can identify any attachment loss and damage to underlying structures. With this information, we can assess the cause and severity of your disease, and choose the right treatment option to bring relief and safeguard your smile’s stability.
Scaling and Root Planing
To help protect your smile, we could take on the early stages with a deep cleaning, also known as a scaling and root planing. We will numb the smile and then use an ultrasonic scaling device to gently and thoroughly remove all plaque and tartar from the teeth and the roots, and from beneath the gums. In the process, this can destroy pockets of harmful bacteria. For minor inflammation, the process could take one visit. More severe buildup may necessitate multiple visits. We then polish the teeth to make it difficult for buildup to occur before you see us again. We may recommend a traditional cleaning every three to four months to control buildup and keep inflammation and disease in check.
Laser Dentistry
If you have a more severe case of periodontal disease, then we could use dental lasers to gently trim away the diseased portions of your gums, and reshape the gum line to ensure proper esthetics too. This can take one visit, and destroy harmful bacteria in the process. The procedure will be fast, comfortable, and offer a short healing process too. Lasers also reduce the risk of swelling, bleeding, and infection, as we don’t need scalpels or sutures.
Helping Smiles Heal
To help the area heal faster and repair damage to underlying attachment tissues, we can offer advanced solutions like Platelet Rich Plasma, which involve injecting a special autoplasm to facilitate a fast and effective healing process.
If you have any questions about treating periodontal disease, then contact our team today to learn more.
Brooklyn Periodontics Provides Periodontal Disease
Our team wants to help limit the risk posed by periodontal issues. For more details about treating your poor gum health, then please call Brooklyn Periodontics & Implantology in Brooklyn, NY at (718) 444-3800 today.
