Do You Have to Go to A Periodontist?

If you notice bleeding gums, it could use a harsh toothbrush or aggressive brushing. However, when you have persistent gum bleeding, it could signify a severe dental problem. Several factors can cause bleeding gums, but plaque buildup on your teeth is one of the most common. Plaque, a sticky substance, builds up on teeth, and it can cause inflammation and infection if it’s not removed. It can lead to gingivitis, a mild form of gum disease that causes gum inflammation. Gingivitis can be treated with regular dental visits to a periodontist near you.

What is Periodontics?

Periodontics focuses on preventing, diagnosing, and treating diseases and conditions affecting the supporting tissues around teeth.

Periodontists are specialists that diagnose and treat gum problems.

What is Gum Disease?

Gum disease or Periodontitis affects the tissues surrounding and supporting your teeth, and if left untreated, it can lead to tooth loss.

Gum diseases are caused by bacteria that get under your gum line and infect your gums. These bacteria create toxins that irritate your gums, leading to redness, swelling, and bleeding. The bacteria can also travel into other parts of your body through blood vessels or the lymphatic system.

The symptoms of gum disease include:

• Redness on the gums
• Bleeding while brushing or flossing
• Swelling on or near the tooth

What Exactly Does a Periodontist Do?

A periodontist’s job is to diagnose and treat patients with diseases of the gums and supporting structures that hold teeth in place. These structures include bone, ligaments, and cementum around teeth.

They can provide a range of treatments for gum disease, including scaling and root planning, periodontal surgery, and dental implants.

What are the Types of Periodontal Treatments That You Can Use?

Our periodontist in Houston, TX, can use one or a combination of treatments depending on the severity of the gum disease.

• Non-surgical treatments

The primary gum disease treatments are non-surgical, designed to treat gum disease early.

• Scaling and root planing

Scaling is when the dentist removes the hardened tartar deposits on teeth. The procedure may be done for various reasons, such as removing calculus, preparing for deep cleaning, or treating gum disease.

Root planing can be done using a scaler, ultrasonic scaler, curette, or hand instruments. It is done to reshape the gum pockets and reattach them to the teeth.

• Gum disease medications

Our periodontist 77063 can use antibiotics to fight bacteria in the mouth and can help to prevent further infection. Anti-inflammatory drugs can reduce swelling in the gums and may help with pain relief.

• Surgical treatments

Advanced gum disease can cause gums recession, the teeth become weak, and the loss of teeth. The periodontist will use different surgical procedures to treat the infection like;

• Flap surgery

Flap surgery is a treatment that involves removing the diseased tissue and then, by making a cut in the gums, connecting the healthy tissue to make sure that there is no space left between them.

The flap usually heals in place after about two weeks, but it will take longer if the patient smokes, drinks alcohol has diabetes, or has other illnesses that slow healing.

• Bone tissue grafting

Bone grafting involves the placement of bone tissue to replace, reconstruct, or supplement bony structures. Bone grafts can be used to treat gum disease by replacing the bone that the disease has eroded.

• Soft tissue grafting

Soft tissue grafting is a procedure that replaces the tissue in the gums that has been lost due to gum disease.

The procedure is performed by removing some of the healthy tissue from the roof of your mouth and then placing it into the gum pocket, where it will grow into new soft tissue.

• Dental implants

In severe gum disease, the dentist may extract the damaged teeth. And, to replace the missing teeth, they may fix the dental implants.

Dental implants are surgically placed in the jawbone to replace missing teeth. They are usually made of titanium, which is a strong metal that is similar to bone. The metal screw fuses with the bone, forming a strong anchor for the artificial tooth or bridge attached to it.

Schedule an Appointment

Call or visit Patrick V. Nicosia, DDS, MS, Inc for more information on gum disease and the available treatments.