What We Do
WHAT IS PERIODONTICS?
Periodontics is a dental specialty that involves the prevention, the diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the supporting and surrounding tissues of the teeth or their substitutes. Periodontics is a dental specialty that involves the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the supporting and surrounding tissues of the teeth or their substitutes and the maintenance of the health, function and esthetics of these structures and tissues.
WHAT IS A PERIODONTIST?
A periodontist is a dentist who specializes in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of periodontal disease and in the placement of dental implants. A periodontist typically has had two to three years of additional training in diagnosing and treating gum disease and its associated problems. Periodontists are familiar with the latest techniques for diagnosing and treating periodontal disease. Moreover, periodontists can perform cosmetic periodontal procedures to improve your smile. Often, dentists refer their patients to a periodontist when their periodontal disease is advanced.
WHAT IS PERIODONTAL DISEASE?
Periodontal (gum) disease is a bacterial infection. It affects the tissues and bone that support the teeth.
Healthy gum tissue fits like a cuff around each tooth. When someone has periodontal disease, the gum tissue pulls away from the tooth. As the disease gets worse, the gum tissue pulls away from the tooth. As the disease gets worse, the tissue and bone that support the tooth are damaged. Over time, teeth may fall our or need to be removed. Treating periodontal disease in the early stages can help prevent tooth loss.
Periodontal disease is caused by plaque, a sticky film that is always forming on your teeth. Plaque contains bacteria that can irritate and inflame the gums. Inflamed gums can pull away from the teeth and form spaces called “pockets”. These pockets collect more bacteria. If the infected pockets are not treated, the gum disease gets worse.
Research has shown that there may be an association between periodontal disease and other chronic inflammatory conditions, such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes, among others. Scientists believe that inflammation may be the cause behind the link between periodontal disease and other chronic conditions. Inflammation, the body’s reaction to fight off infection, guard against injury, or shield against irritation, initially intends to have a protective effect. Untreated chronic inflammation, on the other hand, can lead to the destruction of affected tissues, which can lead to more serious health conditions.
Our Services
PERIODONTAL DISEASE & TREATMENT
• Occlusal Treatment: When tooth surfaces are not in harmony between the upper and lower teeth, an occlusal adjustment may be necessary. This is because teeth that do not properly fit together can affect the rate of progression of periodontal disease. During this procedure, your periodontist may take a mold of your teeth to determine the areas of concern, which will be adjusted. You may also need to wear occlusal guard or night guard to be worn at certain times of the day to minimize the effects of teeth grinding.
• Scaling and Root Planing: Some cases of acute periodontal (gum) diseases that do not respond to more conventional treatment and self-care such as flossing may require a special kind of cleaning called scaling and root planing. If you have a more significant disease, you may require an in-depth cleaning called scaling and root planing (SRP). SRP is a careful cleaning of the tooth root surfaces to remove plaque from pockets and to remove bacteria and toxins from the tooth root. Research has consistently shown that SRP reduces inflammation of the gums and reduces the amount of bacteria associated with periodontal disease. Due to these positive findings, SRP is usually the first mode of treatment recommended for most patients. In fact, many people do not require any further active treatment after SRP.
• Regeneration: Your bone and gum tissue should fit snugly around your teeth like a turtleneck around your neck. When you have periodontal disease, this supporting tissue and bone can be destroyed, leading to pockets. Eventually, too much bone can be lost, leading to teeth falling out or needing to be extracted. To fix this, your periodontist may recommend a regenerative procedure that will reverse some of the damage by regenerating lost bone and tissue with the help of bone grafts. Tissue grafts, procedures that place gum tissue in places where it has receded (such as exposed tooth roots), may also be utilized in regeneration procedures.
• Pocket Depth Reduction (Flap Surgery): Depp pockets caused by periodontal disease can be corrected through pocket depth reduction. This procedure is used to clean the pockets and secure the gum tissue in its original place. Reducing pocket depth and eliminating existing bacteria are important to prevent damage caused by the progression of periodontal disease and to help maintain your healthy smile.
PERIODONTAL PLASTIC SURGERY
A confident, beautiful smile is one of the first things people notice about your face. If you’re not happy with your smile, a periodontist can help! Just as cosmetic surgery has been helping people improve their appearance, several periodontal plastic surgery procedures are available to help enhance the aesthetics of your teeth and gums. Here are some examples of popular procedures:
• Crown Lengthening: In some cases, periodontal procedures help lay the groundwork for restorative and cosmetic dentistry and/or improve the esthetics of your gum line. Crown lengthening is a procedure to remove excess gum tissue, exposing more “crown” of the tooth. This procedure is for patients who feel their teeth are too short or their gum line is uneven. The gum line is then sculpted to create the right proportion between gum tissue and tooth surface. This can be done to just one tooth, or to enhance your entire smile.
• Root Coverage: During a root coverage procedure, gum tissue (usually from your palate) is used to cover the exposed tooth roots. These procedures are used to cover roots, develop gum tissue where needed, or to make dental implants look more natural. In some cases, this procedure can cover exposed roots to protect them from decay or prepare your teeth for orthodontic treatment. Your tooth sensitivity may be reduced as well, and your smile may also improve!
DENTAL IMPLANTS
A dental implant is an artificial tooth root that is placed into your jaw to hold a replacement tooth or bridge. Dental implants are an ideal option for people in good general oral health who have lost a tooth or teeth due to periodontal disease, an injury, or some other reason. If you still have questions after reading this information, have a conversation with your periodontist.
What are the advantages of a dental implant? A dental implant provides several advantages over other tooth replacement options, including:
Maintain the integrity of your remaining teeth. In addition to looking and functioning like a natural tooth, a dental implant replaces a single tooth without sacrificing the health of neighboring teeth. The other common treatment for the loss of a single tooth, a tooth-supported fixed bridge, requires that the adjacent teeth be ground down to support the bridge. When replacing multiple teeth, bridges and partial dentures rely on support from adjacent teeth, while implant-supported bridges do not.
Maintain bone health. Because a dental implant will replace your tooth root, your jawbone is better preserved. Implants integrate with your jawbone, helping to keep your bone healthy and intact. With a bridge or denture, some of the bone that previously surrounded the tooth starts to deteriorate. In the long term, implants are esthetic, functional and comfortable.
A dental implant is an artificial tooth root placed in the jaw to hold a replacement tooth or bridge in place, or to provide support for a denture. Dental implants are the answer for many people with missing or damaged teeth.
• Ridge Augmentation: Ridge augmentation procedures are used to correct irregularities in the jawbone where your natural teeth are missing. They are also used to prevent the jawbone from collapsing after tooth extraction, and help to even out dental implants that may seem too long compared to the rest of your teeth.
• Socket Preservation: Socket preservation is sometimes needed to preserve bone and minimize bone loss adjacent to a tooth that has been removed. One common technique is to fill the socket with bone or bone substitute and allow the bone to heal for approximately four to twelve months before implement replacement.
• Sinus Augmentation: This may be needed to place implants in the upper back jaw, where your bone is very close to your sinus. In this procedure, the sinus floor is raised so there is more room for new bone to grow to provide a proper foundation for implants. After four to twelve months of healing time, You will be ready to have your implants placed. All of these procedures have been shown to greatly increase your chances for successful implants that can last for years to come.