Have Periodontal Disease? 3 Different Treatment Options For You
by Harold Coleman
If you have periodontal disease, your family dentist has different treatment options to help with this problem. This will allow you to keep your teeth instead of having to pull them out and getting dentures or implants. Below are three of these techniques so you can understand them better before your dentist appointment.
Periowave
Periowave is a treatment that is painless and non-invasive. This treatment kills the bacteria that is on your gums due to periodontal disease. The dentist does this procedure by putting a solution of photosensitizer on your gums. The solution goes right to work killing microbes and toxins that cause this type of gum disease.
Once the solution is applied, the dentist will use a special type of laser light to activate the solution and kill the bacteria. It only takes a few minutes to do this technique. You may have to have to have it more than one time if there is a lot of infection on your teeth, however.
When you brush and floss, you do not get deep down into your gums. This is why the periowave technique works so well because it can get down deep into all areas of your gums.
Scaling and Root Planing
Another technique the dentist may use is scaling and root planing. During this procedure, the dentist scrapes tartar and plaque off your teeth, which removes an infection. The dentist will then scale your root surfaces to remove tartar and plaque there. When finished, the dentist will sand the roots to smoothen them and remove open holes on them. This will prevent infection from coming back again.
This treatment can be done in your dentist's office. The dentist will likely use an anesthetic so that you will feel no pain. The dentist may have to do this procedure more than one time, depending on how bad your periodontal disease is.
The dentist will ask you to come back in a few weeks so that they can check your gums. The dentist needs to make sure your gums reattach to your teeth. If not, they will need to do the procedure again but, in most cases, periowave works the first time.
Pocket Reduction
Another treatment option is doing a pocket reduction procedure. This is done if scaling and root planing did not work well for you. For example, if your gum tissue did not attach well around your teeth this will create deep pockets. Food and other things can easily get into these deep pockets, which would cause your periodontal disease to come back again.
During the procedure, the dentist will fold back your gum tissue and clean the gums thoroughly to remove all bacteria until the surface is completely smooth. This will help your gum tissue attach to your teeth so that you will have no pockets.
Talk with your dentist about these procedures, and they can give you much more information.
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About Me
I have never liked my teeth. I had a lot of dental problems, including deep staining and oddly shaped teeth. Every tooth did not have the same shape, and some were rounded while others were more square. Not surprisingly, I never smiled in pictures and not even much in real life. This left people thinking I was mean before they even met me. My dentist told me my best bet to improve the look of my smile was a set of porcelain dental veneers. He said they could make all my teeth white and the same shape. I said I wanted them without any hesitation, and we scheduled my procedures. I love my new teeth, and they really did change my life. I created this blog to help other people living with teeth they don't like realize that they do have options that can improve their smiles and their lives.