Gum Disease Treatment Lakewood

What is Gum Disease?

Gum disease is a common bacterial infection that can impact the gums, roots of the teeth, and the bone that supports the teeth. There are two different stages of this dental problem: the earliest is gingivitis, and the advanced stage is periodontitis. Our team’s priority is to spot the signs of disease as early as possible to prevent it from spreading and causing permanent damage to your teeth and gums.

Symptoms of Gum Disease

Depending on the stage of gum disease that you have, you may experience a wide range of symptoms. Gingivitis typically causes the following symptoms:

• Chronic bad breath
• Bleeding while brushing or flossing
• Swollen, red gums
• Tender gums

Periodontitis is the more advanced stage of gum disease. It can cause a number of consequential oral health problems and symptoms, including:

• Gums that are tender to the touch
• Gums that appear deep purple or dark red in color
• Pus between the teeth and gums
• Pain or discomfort while chewing
• Loose teeth or tooth loss
• Small black triangles that develop between the teeth (gum recession)
• A change in the way the teeth fit together

Once gum disease has advanced, the infection may not be reversible. However, our team can help ease your symptoms and prevent further harm from coming to your smile.

How Do We Treat Gum Disease?

Our team will examine your mouth for signs of gum disease at each of your checkups and cleanings. Depending on the symptoms we see and that you’re experiencing, we may recommend one or multiple of the following treatment options to improve the health of your smile:

Scaling & Root Planing

For mild to moderate cases of gum disease, we can reduce the infection by using a set of treatments called scaling and root planing. This can be thought of as a dental cleaning that is specifically focused on the gums and roots of the teeth. First, a member of our team will remove any plaque and tartar deposits located along the gumline (scaling), and then, the roots of the teeth will be gently smoothed out (root planing). This lowers the risk of plaque and bacteria gathering around the gums in the future, helping to keep our patients protected from reinfection.

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Do You Need Scaling & Root Planing?

Our dentists’ top priority is to make sure your oral health stays on the right track, which is why our team screens for gum disease at each of your routine checkups and cleanings with us. If we find any signs of gum disease, we may recommend a deep cleaning, also known as scaling and root planing. Some of the signs that we keep an eye out for include:

• Gums that bleed whenever you brush or floss
• Gum recession that makes your teeth appear longer than they actually are
• A change in bite
• Chronic bad breath, also called halitosis
• Swollen, red, and puffy gums
• Gums that feel tender
• Dental sensitivity

If you notice any of these symptoms, give our team a call to schedule an examination as soon as possible.

The Process of Scaling & Root Planing

Scaling and root planing, better known as a deep cleaning, is usually our second line of defense against signs of gum disease, right after improving at-home oral hygiene routines. This service typically takes place over the course of two appointments, with the first being a thorough cleaning as far down as the pockets of the gums. This will remove any plaque and tartar build-up, which harbor infection-causing bacteria from the area.

The second appointment will be the root planing procedure, which involves our team clearing away all hardened deposits of bacteria on the roots of the teeth. We aim to help the gums healthily reattach to the teeth, protecting the vulnerable underlying structures from further decay, and even tooth loss.

Aftercare Tips for Scaling & Root Planing

After a deep cleaning in Lakewood, it’s likely that your mouth will feel sore, and even a little swollen. You may also experience collateral numbness from the local anesthesia we administered before your treatment for up to 12 hours after. It’s important to keep your mouth clean as you recover, rinsing with salt water every few hours to cleanse the mouth and alleviate discomfort. Continue brushing your teeth twice a day for two minutes, flossing, and rinsing your mouth as well to keep plaque from building up again.

Antibiotic Treatment

Our team may recommend antibiotic treatment in conjunction with a deep cleaning. We pack the pockets of the gums with small Arestin microspheres that will gradually release medication over a two-week period of time to consistently battle bacteria and prevent advancing infection.

Laser Periodontal Treatment

If your periodontal tissue has become severely damaged due to gum disease, removing the infected tissue is the best option for protecting your smile. Using a safe, efficient soft-tissue laser, your dentist can precisely and comfortably vaporize this damaged tissue, eliminating dangerous oral bacteria and leaving behind only your strong, healthy gums!

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How Laser Periodontal Treatment Works

In years past, if a patient was suffering from the damaging effects of gum disease, their dentist would remove the infected tissue with a scalpel and close the incisions with sutures. Today, however, a more precise, comfortable option exists. Laser gum disease treatment uses a powerful soft-tissue laser to vaporize your damaged periodontal tissue, leaving the healthy tissue behind so it can reattach to your teeth and continue protecting them like it was designed to do.

The soft-tissue laser isn’t just more precise than a scalpel, but because it uses concentrated light to vaporize the tissue, it cauterizes as it works, meaning you likely won’t need sutures, so your entire recovery is shorter, safer, and a lot more comfortable.

The Benefits of Laser Periodontal Treatment

There are many incredible benefits to using the soft-tissue laser over traditional surgical methods, including:

• Because there’s no scalpel involved, your laser gum disease treatment is less invasive than traditional surgery.
• There’s usually no need for sutures since the soft tissue laser has already cauterized your gums.
• The soft-tissue laser kills oral bacteria on contact, helping to reduce your risk of further oral infection.
• Recovery from laser periodontal treatment is more comfortable than traditional surgery.
• The precision of the soft-tissue laser ensures that more of your healthy periodontal tissue can remain in place.

Aftercare Tips for Laser Periodontal Treatment

The good news is that recovery from laser gum disease treatment is very brief, and usually very mild as compared to traditional surgery. In fact, most patients feel back to normal in about a week (whereas it could take up to four weeks with traditional surgery!) Here are some aftercare tips for making this time as comfortable as possible:

• If you’re experiencing any sensitivity or swelling, many patients find that OTC pain medications provide sufficient relief.
• Don’t skip your regular oral hygiene routine- this includes brushing twice daily and flossing once a day.
• Be careful eating anything too hot, spicy, or acidic while you heal, as these can sometimes cause pain or sensitivity in your gums.
• Be sure to attend any follow-up visits with your dentist.
• Should your pain worsen instead of improving, or if you are experiencing any weird symptoms not discussed in your aftercare instructions, contact your dentist as soon as possible.