What Kind of Methodology Does a Periodontist Perform?
A periodontist is a dentist specializing in preventing, diagnosing, and treating gum diseases. The dentist is extensively trained in dealing with issues of the gums. Various methodologies are used to treat cases of gum ranging from mild to severe. Continue reading for more on periodontics in Manteca, CA.
What Causes Gum Disease?
Generally, gum disease results from poor oral hygiene. Gum disease develops when you do not brush your teeth about two times daily and floss them each day. Particles of starches and sugars on your teeth interact with oral bacteria to form plaque. The plaque deposits on your teeth, harden into calculus, and get under the gum line.
An infection of the gums known as gingivitis develops around the base of the affected teeth. Gingivitis is easily reversed with professional treatment from the dentist in Manteca, CA. However, when left untreated, gum inflammation progresses. It causes pockets to develop between the gums and teeth. These pockets hide more bacteria leading to chronic inflammation.
The bacteria causing gum disease enter the bloodstream through your gums and attack your immune system. It leads to rheumatoid arthritis, respiratory disease, and diabetes. At the progressive stage, gum disease can lead to total tooth loss.
Symptoms of Gum Disease
The symptoms of gum disease in various stages of progression include:
· Gums that bleed easily, especially when cleaning your teeth
· Swollen gums or puffy gums
· Gums assume a bright red, purplish, or dusky red color
· Bad breath that is not removed by cleaning the mouth
· Pain when chewing or biting
· Pus between the teeth and gums
· Gum recession that makes your teeth appear longer
· Metallic taste in the mouth
· Loose teeth
· Change in your bite
· Difficulty swallowing or talking
· Production of excess saliva
· Fever
· New spaces develop between teeth
· Tooth loss
Diagnosis of Gum Diseases
The dentist near you must determine whether you have gum diseases and their severity. During diagnosis, the dentist will:
- Review your medical history to help identify factors that could contribute to gum infections.
- Thoroughly examine your mouth for symptoms of the disease.
- Take imaging scans to help check for bone loss.
- Measure the depth of the grooves or pockets between the teeth and gums. These harbor bacteria and continue damaging the gums and underlying jaw bone.
Gum Disease Treatment
Standard procedures of periodontics in Manteca, CA, include:
- Non-surgical treatment
- Periodontics’ tray delivery systems are custom-made trays used for medication delivery. You wear them at home for about 15 minutes each day to combat infection-causing bacteria.
- Scaling and root planing is a deep cleaning procedure that eliminates plaque and calculus from below the gums and teeth.
- Adjunctive therapy involves the administration of systemic antibiotics
- Surgical treatment
Root surface debridement is the removal of damaged tissue from the gums.
- Regenerative procedures. These are carried out to help kick-start the body’s ability to generate lost bone and tissue.
- Tissue grafting. It is surgery that involves using gum and bone tissues from outside the area to be treated. They are taken from another source and used to repair the damaged parts.
- Laser gum surgery is a less invasive option to surgery. Your dentist will use laser beams instead of traditional surgical equipment on the gums.
- Pocket reduction surgery. It is a procedure to reduce the spaces between the gums and teeth. The surgery involves removing calculus between the gum pockets and placing the gums snugly over teeth.
- Dental implant procedure
After tooth loss, the dentist in Manteca, CA, can restore those using dental implants. The titanium posts are placed in your jaw bone and connect with it to act as artificial tooth roots. Dental crowns are fixed on the implants to function and appear like natural teeth.
- Cosmetic dentistry procedure
One such procedure is gingivectomy. It involves eliminating extra tissue on the gums to provide you with a lovely smile.
If you require gum disease treatment, contact us at Valley View Dental-Manteca. We provide various methodologies in dealing with periodontics. They include non-invasive Perio-Protect® trays that deliver treatment deep below your gum line. The trays are customized just for you, making them comfortable and convenient for home use.