The treatment plan for gum disease varies, which depends mostly on the development stage of gum disease and how severe it is.
Early stage: Gingivitis
When the disease is caught early, the condition is reversible because there is no damage to supporting bone or other tissues. Patients can benefit from professional cleaning and proper oral hygiene instructions to turn back to the original healthy oral state.
Advanced stage: Periodontitis
To patients developing more severe periodontal disease, non-surgical treatment involves special deep cleaning called “scaling and root planing” with effort to remove toxic bacteria dental plaque (calculus) in the deepest pockets. This step may be repeated in several visits due to the severity of periodontal disease. The roughness of the root surface is smoothed or “planed” helps prevent bacteria from regathering and allows the gum tissue to heal and reattach to the teeth.
Recommended medications: After scaling and root planing, medications such as antibiotics, anti-inflammatory drugs or mouthrinse may be prescribed by your dentist to support infection control and aid healing. The dentist may place medication directly into the infected area after finishing the scaling and root planing procedure
In the next appointment within a few weeks after scaling and root planing, the dentist evaluates the healing process and processes periodontal pockets measurement. If the patients recover well, no further treatment is required but preventive care. If progressing disease causes periodontal pockets gets deeper and the supporting bone is loss, invasive periodontal surgery may be indicated to remove inflamed tissues and reduce the damage the bone that has formed around the teeth. Additional procedures help stop periodontal disease and save natural teeth.
Patients should quit smoking that slows the healing speed in periodontal treatment. In addition, it is necessary for the patients to consult with physicians because the presence of other health conditions may affect the treatment result.
How to take good care of your teeth after periodontal treatment?
When periodontal treatment is finished, regular checkups are scheduled to keep your periodontal disease under close control. Recurrence of periodontal disease after treatment can occur at any time so it is a must to follow the schedules with your dentist. Professional deep cleaning is performed to keep dental plaque buildup away.
Consciousness of meticulous daily oral care is a key to prevent recurrence of periodontal disease. Loss of tooth will never occur if you pay enough attention
