Periodontal
treatments

Periodontal disease is a disease of the gum tissue and underlying bone. Unlike gingivitis, periodontitis is associated with irreversible loss of the underlying bone holding the teeth in. Gum pockets usually open up between the tooth and gum and act as reservoirs for bacteria unless treated. The rate of bone loss varies from individual to individual, but if untreated can lead to tooth loss. Up to 80 per cent of the population will probably get some periodontal disease, and 15-20 per cent of people will lose a significant number of teeth. In its advanced form, it is the most common cause of tooth loss in adults. Like gingivitis, periodontitis is usually painless, and by the time people become aware of problems – usually teeth becoming loose or drifting out of alignment – serious damage has already been done. If caught early enough, most periodontitis treatment is successful.

Treatment for Periodontitis:

The most common type of treatment for gum disease requires a two-pronged approach:

1. Meticulous removal of plaque and calculus (or tartar) from the gum pockets
2. Home care

Treatment of gum disease targets the causes and effects of gum disease – namely the bacteria initiating disease on the tooth surface next to the gum margin, and the bacteria progressing the disease within the gum pockets.

Debridement

In the deeper pockets you cannot reach, we will carefully clean the root surfaces of the teeth. Also called root planing, we often use local anaesthetic for this procedure. For deeper pockets or those that do not respond to this treatment, gum surgery may be required to improve the health of your gums.

Home care – plaque control

If you are susceptible to gum disease, it means your gums tolerate very little plaque without inflammation (irritation) developing. Therefore, successful long-term control of your gum problems depends on a high level of daily oral hygiene. To help you achieve this, we will provide an individualized plan to help you to remove plaque bacteria from the gum line.

Problems with Periodontal disease

Where periodontal disease is more advanced, it may lead to progressive loss of the bone that supports the teeth, teeth then become mobile, they may splay or drift, resulting in a displeasing appearance of the teeth and eventually tooth loss. The condition may cause the movement of bacteria into the bloodstream, which may affect your general health and which has been linked to certain heart conditions as well as other chronic inflammatory conditions such as diabetes. It may also cause local infections in the bone that may result in its further destruction and may indeed limit future treatment options, including dental implants, or it may complicate future management if not addressed.

In cases where the long term prognosis of a tooth is no longer good, or where numerous teeth are involved, there are often significant advantages in the early planning of alternative treatment, for example extractions and placement of dental implants, in order to minimise the negative effects of bone loss caused by periodontal disease on the success of any future treatment.

People with periodontal disease will often require more frequent preventative maintenance visits to control the disease.