Some people don't take the necessary steps to ensure their gums are in good health. Consequently, many of those people live with untreated periodontal (gum) disease, often culminating in premature tooth loss. Although various dental solutions address tooth loss, your teeth should not get to that point. Notably, there are different periodontic procedures designed to treat and manage gum disease. This article highlights the most common periodontic procedures you should expect if you are suffering from gum problems.
Scaling and Root Planing
It is arguably the most common periodontic procedure and involves cleaning the root surface to remove dental plaque (hardened tartar). Dental plaque represents accumulated bacteria and food particles along the edges of the gum and is usually caused by failure to brush or floss teeth regularly. Over time, bacteria feed on the food particles, eventually causing infections in the gums and weakening the supportive tissue. During scaling and root planing, a periodontist scrapes the dental plaque, starving the gum-disease-causing bacteria. The best part about scaling is that patients do not need additional treatment following the procedure. However, ongoing maintenance therapy of scaling is necessary to keep the gums in good shape.
Periodontic Tray Delivery Systems
For a long time, the physical application of oral gels was the only way to deliver medication to infected gums. However, keeping the gel in the infected area was challenging because of the moist environment in the mouth. Thanks to periodontic tray delivery systems, oral medicine application is no longer a problem. The reason is that periodontic trays resemble at-home teeth whitening trays that dentists give their patients. To make one, a periodontist takes an impression of your teeth and gum and uses the mould to craft a periodontic tray. Notably, you place a medication (oral gel) inside the tray then insert it inside your mouth based on your dentist's instructions. This form of periodontal drug delivery is effective since it ensures that medication stays in place for longer.
Regenerative Procedure
The ultimate results of severe gum infection are bone damage and tooth loss. When a patient gets to this point, simple periodontic procedures, such as scaling, are useless since they cannot reverse the problem. However, all is not lost because periodontists often recommend regenerative procedures for such cases. Regeneration is a surgical procedure that can save the affected jawbone and tooth. During the procedure, a periodontist folds back the gum tissue to remove bacteria. They then inject tissue-stimulating proteins behind the gums to accelerate the natural restoration of the bone and gum tissue.
For more information, contact a local periodontic clinic.
