There are different stages of gum disease. The early stage, known as gingivitis, is typically mild and can be easily overlooked if you don’t see your Johns Creek dentist every six months for a dental checkup. When you avoid the dentist and gingivitis is present, you’ll develop more serious symptoms of gum disease, and you’ll begin to experience discomfort. Without treatment, eventually your gums will bleed, be painful, and your teeth will become loose. Gum disease is a serious oral health issue, but it can be fixed, and your smile can be restored.
Types of Gum Disease Therapy
Once gum disease has progressed into a severe state, treatment must be aggressive to prevent the problem from continuing to spread. The most common treatments for periodontal therapy include:
- Deep cleaning. Scaling and root planing remove tartar from below the gum line and smooth surfaces to prevent plaque from forming. This method promotes the reattachment of healthy gums and stops gum disease in its tracks if you take good care of your oral health and allow your gums to heal properly.
- Laser gum therapy (LANAP). A non-surgical, non-invasive treatment, LANAP avoids stitches and painful recovery. The therapy targets only diseased gum tissue and in a gentle way with an intense laser light that kills bacteria.
- Antimicrobial rinses. Mild cases of gingivitis respond best to rinses. The rinse attacks the bacteria causing the infection, which prevents plaque from forming and reduces inflammation and bleeding gums.
- Because gum disease is an infection, an antibiotic helps promote healing and kill bacteria.
Ways to Fix Your Teeth After Gum Disease Therapy
Seeing an experienced Suwanee family dentist that offers comprehensive oral health care means, after your periodontal treatment, that you can undergo restorative dentistry to fix your smile. Here are just some of the ways to improve and restore your smile once your mouth has healed from its therapy:
- Dental implants. In the most severe cases of gum disease, teeth can become loose and even fall out. Dental implants are placed in the jawbone and a prosthetic tooth is attached. This procedure strengthens your bone while also replacing the holes in your smile. The look is natural and the permanent restoration is strong and long-lasting.
- Bridges and crowns. Perhaps only one or two teeth have been compromised by your periodontal disease and perhaps they have had to undergo extraction. In cases like these, a dental bridge can be customized to “bridge” the gap, and dental crowns can serve as anchors on either side to make the restoration secure.
- Dentures. If, for some reason, you are not a good candidate for dental implants and you have lost multiple teeth, dentures are a viable and strong solution. Modern dentures are far more comfortable, natural looking, and reliable for a full smile restoration.
- Pinhole gum rejuvenation: When you have gum disease therapy, the last thing you want is for the gum disease to come back. Gum recession can lead to periodontal disease and, as a preventive measure, pinhole gum rejuvenation is a far less-invasive way to move gums down while avoiding painful gum grafts.
If you suspect that you have gum disease, do something about it. Contact Family & Cosmetic Dentistry to schedule a consultation. We proudly serve the areas of Johns Creek, Suwanee, Alpharetta, Duluth, and neighboring areas.
