Maintaining healthy gums is critical to your overall well-being. When your gums become infected, it can lead to numerous consequences such as bleeding, tooth loss, and chronic inflammation. Some studies suggest gum disease can even lead to heart disease, stroke, and dementia. While gum disease is mostly caused by poor oral hygiene, in some cases it can be hereditary.
If your gums are infected, seeking treatment as quickly as possible is necessary to minimize the negative consequences. If your dentist can’t resolve your gum disease with oral cleaning, then you may be referred to a periodontist.
Periodontists offer a wide range of care that can help you restore and protect your gum health. At Ormond Beach Periodontics, we help patients recover from gum disease every day. Below are some of the periodontal treatments Dr. Beauchamp offers patients battling this severe condition:
Periodontal Therapy
Periodontal Therapy is often the first line of defense when it comes to periodontal treatment. If you have minor to moderate gum disease, we may be able to resolve it without surgery. Periodontal Therapy is pretty simple — it’s like a heavy-duty dental cleaning that specifically targets plaque and bacteria from your teeth and gum line. While many patients are nervous about discomfort, this procedure can be performed in conjunction with a local anesthetic or sedation dentistry options, so you won’t feel much pain.
Periodontal Therapy is ideal if your gums are bleeding or swollen or you have chronic bad breath, and there is a good chance minor cases of gum disease can be resolved with a deep cleaning. After this procedure, you may experience mild discomfort for a couple of days, but the pain can be easily managed with ibuprofen.
Gum Recession Treatment
Gum recession is when your gums begin to pull away from your teeth, and it’s mostly caused by poor oral hygiene, long-term gum disease, and in some cases, brushing too often or too aggressively.
One of the primary risks of gum recession is it can create pockets or gaps between the teeth and the gum line, which can harbor large collections of bacteria. These bacteria can eat away at your teeth and jawbone, cause inflammation, and ultimately lead to tooth loss.
During gum recession treatment, your periodontist will thoroughly clean the affected area by removing plaque and tartar and eliminating bacteria from those pockets between the teeth and the gums. Deep cleaning of the area combined with improved oral hygiene habits can reverse periodontal pockets caused by gum recession and minimize the chances of future occurrences.
Scaling and Root Planing
Sometimes scraping plaque and tartar from the teeth and gum line isn’t enough. If you have severe gum disease caused by deep periodontal pockets and a significant amount of bacteria has accumulated, a more invasive procedure might be required. Scaling is a procedure that eliminates plaque and bacteria from beneath the gum line and root planing helps the gums reattach to the tooth.
To do this, your provider might need to make a small incision in your gums and fold the tissue back in order to reach the bacteria hidden deep in the gum tissue. All the plaque and tartar from your tooth all the way down to the bottom of the pocket will be removed. Afterward, your teeth roots will be smoothed over, which will help your gums reattach.
While scaling and root planing are a bit painful and uncomfortable, it’s very effective at reversing gum disease and sometimes it’s absolutely necessary. But don’t worry — there are many things your provider can do to help manage pain including local anesthesia, general anesthesia, and sedation dentistry.
Laser Periodontal Treatment
If you’re suffering from moderate gum disease and dread the thought of invasive surgery, Laser Periodontal Treatment (LANAP) could be an option for you. This minimally invasive procedure leverages a high-powered laser to target sections of diseased gums and eliminate bacteria. The laser immediately cauterizes harmful germs while healthy tissue is left completely intact. In many cases, the gum tissue can even regenerate.
LANAP is very straightforward, and the procedure can be done in about an hour. You might experience a small amount of discomfort and mild soreness afterward; however, bleeding will be minimal. You may need to stick to soft foods for a few days, but because there are no incisions, patients benefit from a quick recovery and no impact on their bites and smiles. As a result, LANAP is often a preferred treatment option for patients.
Long-Term Periodontal Maintenance
Nobody looks forward to gum disease treatment, and many patients procrastinate until it’s too late. Once we complete scaling & root planing or LANAP, we stick with you for the long haul to make sure you don’t have to go through this again. Through regular appointments, we’ll ensure a healthy recovery, monitor your gum health, and provide deep cleanings that will prevent bacteria from accumulating beneath the gumline. This way, we’ll be able to catch signs of gum disease early and take care of the problem before significant surgery is required. Some of the effects of severe gum disease aren’t 100% reversible, so it’s important to continue to see your periodontist regularly following treatment so your oral health can be closely examined and monitored.
Why Turn To Ormond Beach Perio For Periodontal Treatment
Ormond Beach Periodontics & Implant Dentistry is Ormond’s leading periodontic practice and one of the most reputable providers in all of Central Florida. We’ve been awarded the Reader’s Choice Award for Best Implant Dentistry in Ormond Beach 6 years in a row.
Our commitment to patient comfort and education is what sets our practice apart. From the moment you walk in the door, you’ll feel at ease and at home. To improve patient outcomes, we’ve made significant investments in dental technology and diagnostic tools. Dr. Beauchamp believes knowledge is power, so he always takes the time to inform patients and thoroughly answer any and all questions. When treating gum disease, he’ll create a customized treatment plan just for you. Contact us today to schedule your appointment.