Periodontal Treatment in Southern Pines
Periodontal Treatment
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Gum Disease Treatment
Half of American adults suffer from gum disease. Gum disease is the result of bacteria in the mouth that cause inflammation and redness swollen gums. Proper oral hygiene, including a dental care routine that involves regular brushing and flossing, can remove these bacteria and other particles that create plaque, which hardens on the teeth and becomes difficult to remove. However, the longer this plaque is on the teeth, the more dangerous it becomes, causing infection.
At Van Scoyoc Periodontics & Implants our goal is to prevent periodontal disease from causing lasting damage to your gums. Most Americans have some stage of gum disease, ranging from mild gingivitis to advanced periodontal disease. Our office offers treatment for every stage of gum disease, allowing us to stop or even reverse its effects to restore your gums to health and minimize the chances of tooth loss.
Our team in Southern Pines has been treating periodontal disease for years. Contact us for an appointment today!
What is Periodontal Disease?
Periodontal disease is the number one reason for tooth loss, even over tooth decay or trauma. In its early stages, gum disease is often referred to as gingivitis. If you notice that your gums bleed slightly or are sensitive when you brush and floss your teeth, you are likely among the hundreds of thousands of Americans in the early stages of periodontitis.
Over time, irritated gums pull away from the teeth and pockets form between the gum and the tooth, allowing bacteria to gain a foothold. This causes further irritation, and the pockets become deeper as gum tissue becomes diseased and shrinks further. The cycle continues, and eventually teeth can become loose as the supporting bone in the jaw also becomes infected and begins to dissolve.
A patient is considered to have advanced periodontal disease when the pockets are extremely deep, infection is almost constant, and tooth loss has begun. As teeth fall out, the supporting structure of the arch is destroyed, and the result is the gradual loss of adjacent teeth. The bone of the jaw continues to deteriorate, and eventually the patient is left edentulous (toothless).
Do I have Gum Disease?
Common early indicators of gum disease include bad breath (halitosis), sensitivity and/or bleeding of the gums when brushing or flossing, gums shrinking away from the teeth, and red, irritated, or swollen gums. However, periodontal disease can exist and spread even when no obvious symptoms are present.
Our doctors can check for gum disease by examing your gums and teeth, looking for calculus (tarter) below the gumline and DNA testing for specific bacteria that cause tooth loss.
Periodontal disease can often be prevented with a strict oral hygiene routine that includes brushing and flossing at least twice daily and seeing a dentist every six months for a cleaning. If gingivitis or periodontitis occurs, you can see our doctors and have scaling and root planing, also known as a “deep cleaning”, to remove buildup of plaque and calculus below the gumline.
If needed, surgical therapy can also be done to remove traces of plaque and bacteria, and antibiotics maybe be administered to deepened gum pockets to get rid of infection. Gingivitus can often be reversed by these treatments and the institution of an at-home oral health regimen. We can also arrest the effects of periodontitis and prevent further progession in most cases.
