About Periodontics
What is Periodontal Disease? Do I really need Periodontal Therapy?
Periodontal disease, once called pyorrhea, is a chronic infection. This infection is engendered by a very sophisticated biofilm that most people call dental plaque. If your teeth are perfectly clean, within a few seconds relatively benign bacteria attach to the teeth. Over the next 24 hours successively more aggressive bacteria attach. If the plaque stays in contact with the gum tissue more than 24 hours it creates an infection called gingivitis. Bleeding seen after cleaning is a sign of gingivitis but is infrequently present.
“Our practice provides a variety of minimally invasive services for the treatment of periodontal diseases. We pride ourselves on the fact that we are very conservative in our treatment recommendations and limit surgery to the areas where it is absolutely necessary.
Many times, the early stages of periodontal disease are best treated with non-surgical approaches. Even in severe cases, non-surgical periodontal therapy often precedes minimally invasive surgical therapy. This is done to improve the overall tissue quality prior to surgery and also to help limit the areas requiring surgery.”
If the infection stays in the gum for long enough, it spreads to the bone that supports the teeth and causes its destruction. If enough bone is destroyed the teeth are lost. The early and immediate stages of bone loss occur without any dental symptoms and can only be found by close examination using a device called a periodontal probe.
As the bacterial front continues underneath the gum, some of the bacterial calcify and attach to the root surface. This material is dental calculus, also called tartar. Tartar is analogous to having dirt in a wound. If the dirt is not removed the wound will not heal. To control the disease process and allow possible regrowth and reattachment of bone this tartar must be removed. In years past this required an aggressive type of gum surgery. Advances in the last few years have allowed us to use devices that can see below the gum tissue. This allows us to remove tartar using minimally invasive procedures, which yield positive results with minor postoperative problems in most cases. In many cases regrowth of bone is possible. Once health is established, consistent oral hygiene on the part of the patient along with regular professional cleanings can keep the disease process under control.
Periodontics and You
Learn more about the risks of periodontal disease and the health benefits of periodontal therapy.
Click the links below for specific information on how periodontal disease may be impacting your life and how proper periodontal treatment by our specialists can make a difference in your oral health.