Periodontal Care

What is periodontal care?

Periodontal care is the treatment for gum disease, also called periodontal disease. At Stein Dental Care, Dr. Stein fully evaluates your gums and lets you know if you have gum disease. The type of periodontal care you get depends on the severity of your gum disease. Mild gum disease hardly needs any care at all beyond improved brushing and flossing habits.

Which type of periodontal disease do I have?

Periodontal disease develops over time after plaque and tartar accumulate on the surfaces of your teeth and progress to below the gum line. During routine dental cleanings, your Hygienist  removes the plaque and tartar off your teeth, which helps prevent periodontal disease. 

Before the condition develops into periodontitis, you experience a milder form of gum disease called gingivitis. Severe gingivitis can lead to any of these three forms of periodontal disease:

Chronic periodontitis

If you have chronic periodontitis, you may notice that your teeth appear longer. That is due to gum recession, which slowly exposes the roots of your teeth. Eventually, the loss of gum tissue becomes irreversible. 

Aggressive periodontitis

Aggressive periodontitis is even more severe than chronic periodontitis. It causes the rapid loss of gum tissue and affects the bone beneath your gums. Sometimes, the condition is difficult to detect and can cause damage before you realize you have it. 

Necrotizing periodontitis

Necrotizing periodontitis refers to necrosis, which is tissue death. With necrotizing periodontitis, the gums begin to die and deteriorate. Diseases like human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) often contribute to necrotizing periodontitis. 

What does periodontal care involve?

At Stein Dental Care, Dr. Stein evaluates your gum health and the health of your jawbone to diagnose periodontitis and create a treatment plan to manage the condition. To treat your periodontitis, he may recommend one or several of these strategies:

Scaling and root planing

Scaling is the physical removal of plaque and tartar from around your gums. Root planing is the removal of tartar deposits on the roots of your teeth, which are exposed due to gum pockets or gum recession. These procedures are typically performed together and are deep cleaning procedures. 

Medication

Medications like Arestin®, which Dr. Stein applies under your gums, control the spread of a gum infection.

Gum surgery

Gum surgery involves placing a gum graft over the exposed roots of your teeth. Dr. Stein will recommend that you see a specialist to get this treatment. 

Pocket reduction surgery

Pocket reduction surgery is another form of surgery for periodontitis and you will be referred to the appropriate specialist for this type of care. 

Don’t ignore signs of periodontitis like gum recession or bleeding. For expert periodontal diagnosis and care, call Stein Dental Care or schedule online today.