What Does Periodontal Treatment Involve?

Periodontal diseases are infections affecting the structures around the teeth without affecting the teeth themselves. The structures affected include the gums, periodontal ligament, and alveolar bone. Periodontal disease progresses from gingivitis, the earliest stage of this infection that merely affects the gums.

The causes of periodontal disease are often bacteria and dental plaque. You may exhibit symptoms such as bleeding and swollen gums, persistent bad breath, painful chewing, unexpected loose teeth, teeth sensitivity, and gum recession.

Gum disease needs treatment as soon as possible from periodontal treatment in Brighton, ON, because the infection is associated with other medical conditions, including strokes, heart disease, diabetes, and respiratory disease.

Gum Disease Treatment Phases

There are three phases of treating periodontal disease that you must undergo if affected by this infection.

Phase 1: The Etiological Phase

Treatment during the etiological phase focuses on controlling the infection and restoring any healthy microbiota that remains. Your dentist evaluates to determine the cause of the periodontal disease to ensure they address the root cause of the problem.

During the etiological phase, you receive education about home care to manage the infection and your overall health. You also receive advice to stop smoking and maintain excellent dental hygiene.

The dentist will perform scaling and root planing to help clean your teeth deeply to remove plaque and tartar accumulated on them. They might also prescribe medicines.

Phase 2: The Surgical Phase

If conservative treatments aren’t effective, your treatment continues in the surgical phase. For example, gum surgery typically becomes necessary if the pockets of infection are challenging to clean because of their depth. The surgical phase starts between four to eight weeks after the etiological step.

The surgical phase includes using regenerative surgical techniques and levelling shallow bone defects. The surgery aims to remove pockets of space between the teeth and bone susceptible to breakage by periodontal disease. In addition, the surgery eliminates the room for bacteria, plaque, and tartar to remain in the pockets.

Gum surgery might be performed under general anesthesia, but many people don’t experience much discomfort after the procedure. However, you can expect to miss a day of work after gum surgery.

Phase 3: Maintenance

Maintenance focuses on preventing the return of periodontal disease because the chances of recurrence are high without careful supervision.

Your dentist provides instructions carefully about the oral hygiene practices you must follow, including keeping your teeth clean by brushing and flossing them. In addition, they might recommend mouthwash to help kill any excess bacteria and recommend quarterly checkups instead of waiting for six months to ensure everything is in order.

Periodontal Disease Treatment Options

The severity of the infection affecting you determines the precise treatments your dentist might recommend.

Your treatment begins with scaling and root planing, which is not as invasive as periodontal surgery. These non-surgical procedures are often adequate to treat minor cases of periodontal infections. During the procedure, the dentist scrapes all the tartar from above and below the gum line and the rough spots on the tooth. The process helps remove bacteria contributing to gum disease while also cleaning spaces where bacteria might accumulate.

Your dentist might also prescribe medications, including systemic antibiotics for oral ingestion, to make the scaling and root planning more effective.

Unfortunately, if your condition has progressed, you might require surgical pocket reduction to clean tartar on the deep pockets to eliminate or reduce their size. The surgery makes the area easier to clean, preventing infections from developing later. Pocket reduction surgery is alternatively called flap surgery.

During the procedure, your dentist cleans the deep pockets by lifting the gums for cleaning beneath them. Later the gums are sutured to fit tightly around the teeth. You might experience swelling for 24 to 48 hours after flap surgery and receive a prescription for antibiotics besides instructions to have soft foods for at least two weeks.

If periodontal disease has caused bone and gum tissue loss, your dentist might recommend bone and tissue grafts besides pocket reduction surgery. This helps regenerate lost bone and tissue.

During bone grafting, your dentist places natural or synthetic bone in the area where bone loss has occurred to help promote bone growth. If you undergo bone grafts, you must refrain from having crunchy and hard foods and exist on a diet of liquids and soft foods for approximately 6 to 8 weeks, depending on your dentist’s recommendations.

Conclusion

Periodontal disease increases your risk of conditions like stroke, respiratory diseases, heart disease, and diabetes. The condition can result in tooth extraction when left untreated, making it exceptionally essential to treat it. If you start treatment early, you can prevent the need for invasive treatments later.

Do not consider the issue inconsequential if you notice bleeding and swollen gums when brushing and flossing. Instead, schedule an appointment with Brighton family dentistry to receive periodontal treatment from an early stage to ensure the condition doesn’t progress.