Treatments of Gum Disease

Gum disease can do major damage to not only your gums, but your teeth and even your jawbone and your heart. This is why it is extremely important to treat any gum disease that may be occurring as soon as possible. There are a few different treatments that can be used to treat gum disease, and it’s important to understand both what gum disease is, and what gum disease treatments are available to treat your periodontal disease.

What Is Periodontal Disease?

Periodontal disease (also known as gum disease) is caused by the buildup of bacteria below the gum line. This causes inflammation, and can lead to major damage to the bone that supports the teeth.

There are three different stages of gum disease—each more damaging than the last.

These three stages are:
Mild or Early Periodontitis
Moderate Periodontitis
Advanced or Severe Periodontitis

By treating the disease in its earliest stage, you can help prevent damage that can lead to tooth loss. Once the disease becomes more advanced, the likelihood of tooth loss increases dramatically. When your teeth become loose and painful it may be too late to save them.

Do I Need Gum Disease Treatment?

In order to get the gum disease treatment that you may need, it’s important to know what to look for.

Here are a few of the different symptoms of gum disease:
Red/Discolored Gums
Swollen Gums
Irritation of the Gums
Bleeding Gums
Pus
Loose Teeth

If you notice these symptoms, schedule an appointment with your dentist as soon as possible. Don’t allow the disease to progress, and the damage to become more severe.

Gum Disease Treatments

Once you visit the dentist, they will discuss different gum disease treatment options with you. Which is right for you depends on how advanced the periodontal disease is. If you are in the beginning stages of gum disease (early periodontitis), you may only need to have your teeth professionally cleaned more frequentlt, and to take better care of your teeth and gums at home. Once the disease advances, though, other treatments may be required.

If the amount of bacteria and gum inflammation is more severe (but still treatable), your dentist and hygienist may suggest a deep cleaning (also known as a scaling and root planing). During this procedure, your hygienist will clean below the gum line to remove bacteria, and diseased gum tissue. Once the damage becomes more severe, though, your dentist may need to use more advanced equipment like a dental laser. They may even need to perform surgery.

Keep in mind the treatments discussed above are for treating the disease itself. If the damage is severe enough, your dentist may also need to treat bone tissue that has been damaged. They may also need to extract loose teeth, or repair areas in which the teeth have fallen out.

Visiting Your Dentist

Advanced periodontitis is very challenging to treat, most often it ends in tooth removal. You don’t need to allow your gum disease to progress this far. Instead, set an appointment to visit your dentist as soon as you notice any signs of periodontal disease. This could mean the difference between you having—or not having—teeth.

For more information on dental checkups and periodontal disease consider contacting Baer Dental Designs today.

If you'd like to read further on Gum Disease, here's some more information on what gum disease actually is.