When It’s Time to See a Houston Periodontist

Advanced periodontal disease is as bad as gum disease gets. All the symptoms and warning signs of the earlier stages have led to this, a point where treatment can be uncomfortable, but it can also be life saving.

Gum disease stems from several possible sources, the most common of which is bacteria gathering under the gum line. It can also be a sign of a different disease altogether, which makes diagnosing the source all the more important.

Why It’s Important to See a Houston Periodontist for Advanced Periodontal Disease

Beyond the ability to treat the disease, which we’ll get to in a bit, gum disease can be an indicator for an underlying problem. Certain medications and other diseases can cause gum disease, so it’s important to know what the root cause is for an effective treatment.

 

If you’re treating the gum disease as though it’s the only problem, but it’s actually being caused by diabetes, you’re not going to effectively treat it and it can keep recurring.

By treating the source, you can prevent the periodontal disease from growing and spreading.

Treating Periodontal Disease in Houston

The early stages of periodontal disease can be reversed with a good, thorough cleaning of the teeth, particularly under the gum-line. Gingivitis, the first stage, can often be reversed at home. Periodontal disease requires dentists scrape the bacteria from teeth.

With advanced periodontal disease, however, a Houston periodontist needs to surgically remove the bacteria, which is so deep under the gum-line that it can’t be removed easily.

Most times, a procedure called open flap surgery is conducted to access the roots of teeth. The roots are where most of the bacteria are gathering, which causes adjacent tissue to become inflamed. By making small slits in the gums, the periodontist can peel back the gums to expose the roots and remove the bacteria.

Additionally, soft tissue grafts may be needed to restore damaged or destroyed gum tissue. The tissue is usually taken from the roof of the patient’s mouth, but guided tissue regeneration can sometimes stimulate the gum tissue cells to grow on their own.

Another major problem with advanced periodontal disease is that the bacteria may have reached and infected the bones of the jaw.

If this happens, the bones can become weak, causing teeth to fall out and other major issues. In order to treat this, the dentist will remove any pieces of bone that are infected and may apply a bone graft to stimulate healing.

Care After Advanced Periodontal Disease Treatment

All of the treatment methods for advanced periodontal disease treatment are uncomfortable. The patient will likely need a few days to recover. However, stopping the spread and reversing the damage of the infection can potentially save the patient’s life.

During the procedure, sedation dentistry can be used to reduce the sensation of pain and discomfort, but it may not eliminate it entirely.

The dentist does not want to cause the patient any pain, but unfortunately it may happen due to the severity and depth of the disease. After the surgery, the patient should rest at home for the rest of the day. Take any prescribed pain medications as directed to reduce discomfort while the mouth heals.

Avoid chewing or biting any hard foods for a while to prevent accidentally causing additional pain or loosening teeth. If any more problems arise after the surgery, contact your dentist immediately for a follow-up appointment.

Combating Advanced Periodontal Disease is a Difficult Task

Periodontitis doesn’t stop at making teeth a little loose or causing a little bit of tenderness in the gums.

Advanced periodontal disease, the most severe form of it, can cause teeth to actually fall out as it wears away the gum tissue that holds teeth in place.

Abscesses can form causing pain, and the bacteria within them can eventually reach the jaw, causing a bone infection.

If periodontal disease gets to this point, seeing a Houston dentist is not just a recommendation, it can be life saving.

What Makes Advanced Periodontal Disease So Much Worse?

When gum disease initially starts out, it may not seem bad at all. Maybe a tiny bit of tenderness, perhaps a little swelling, and maybe some blood around the gums when brushing.

Overall, you may feel great. But beneath the surface of your gums, there is a war about to be waged.

It only takes two to three days for plaque to harden into tartar, and once it does, it acts as a shield for bacteria, protecting them from your efforts to clean and purge it from your mouth.

After that, the bacteria begins weakening the gum tissue. It starts with a little bleeding, some swelling and tenderness.

As it progresses, it may become somewhat painful and the gums may turn a bright red or purple color.

At this point, you will need a deep cleaning and an actual scraping of the teeth to remove the bacteria to get your gums to start healing.

Letting it go even further allows the bacteria to burrow into the gums. The deeper it goes, the harder it becomes to clear out.

Once the bacteria reaches your bones, it can become life threatening. Bone infections are not something to be messed with and you should see a dentist right away if you have periodontal disease.

At the advanced stage, not even antibiotics are enough to stave off the infection. Only surgery and tissue regeneration can be beneficial.

Treating Advanced Periodontal Disease in Houston

More than likely, a dentist will have to perform a surgical procedure to cleanse your gums of the bacteria.

The most common procedure is flap surgery.

For this, several small incisions are made along the gums to be able to peel them up like a flap. Next, a very deep scaling and planing procedure is conducted.

Scaling scrapes the bacteria and infected material away while planing smooths out the rough surfaces of bone and tooth to prevent bacteria from clinging to it.

After the flap surgery is completed, depending on how much damage the bacteria caused, tissue may need to be replenished.

This can be done either using guided tissue regeneration or soft tissue grafts. In the worst scenarios where the bones have become infected, a bone graft may be necessary as well.

Preventing Advanced Periodontal Disease

The best way to stop advanced periodontal disease is to never reach that level.

Proper home dental care will be enough to prevent or even reverse gingivitis, the weakest form of gum disease. A regular visit to the dentist for cleanings and exams will also be beneficial.

If you contract moderate periodontal disease, antibiotics and scaling and root planing will be enough to rid the bacteria from your teeth and gums.

Keep in mind that the longer you wait to treat periodontal disease, the more difficult and uncomfortable it becomes to eradicate.

Preventing Gum Disease with Gingivitis Treatments in Houston

Often dismissed as a nuisance rather than a disease, gingivitis can ultimately have some far reaching consequences for those who don’t nip it in the bud when it first shows up.

Characterized by the tendency to have bleeding gums, gingivitis is the first stage of gum disease and is the most easily treated stage. Proper oral care can prevent gingivitis, but should they be necessary, gingivitis treatments are available in Houston.

Stages of Gum Disease

Stage 1: Gingivitis is the first stage of gum disease. It may not always show any symptoms and can often go unnoticed because of that, but the main symptoms to look out for are:

·         Swollen or puffy gums

·         Tender or sore gums

·         Perpetual bad breath

·         Gums changing color to a milky white

·         Receding gum line

Stage 2: Periodontal Disease is the second stage and brings with it more consequences.Most notably, the gums are painful and bright red, possibly with pus developing. You may also notice loose teeth or space developing between teeth.

Stage 3: Advanced periodontal disease is even worse, with teeth actually falling out, the gums receding great distances, and jawbone infections developing.

Taking care of gingivitis early on will prevent it from advancing to the later stages, which are much more difficult to treat.

Causes and Risks

The primary cause of gingivitis is the buildup of plaque along the gumline.

Plaque is the waste material of bacteria, and it becomes a haven for the disease spreading bugs to grow. As plaque hardens, it becomes tartar, which is more difficult to remove and protects the bacteria from at home care.

The main risks associated with developing gingivitis stem from poor oral hygiene. Taking care of your teeth will greatly reduce your chances of developing gum disease, though there are other risk factors as well.

Smoking, old age, prescription medications, and diabetes can all increase the risk of getting gingivitis.

Gingivitis Treatment in Houston

Your local Galleria dentist can easily diagnose and treat gingivitis, leaving your mouth clean and your smile bright. You should schedule an appointment with your Houston dentist as soon as you discover the symptoms of gingivitis developing.

Diagnosis of the disease is typically conducted with a thorough visual examination of the mouth and description of symptoms you’re experiencing. Should no obvious signs be detected, more thorough examinations such as x-rays may be necessary.

A complete deep cleaning of teeth is usually more than enough to treat gingivitis, and the best dentist in Houston certainly has the tools and methods needed to clean teeth exceptionally well.

Beyond a deep cleaning at the dentist, your Memorial dentist will also recommend brushing and home care techniques to prevent further development of gingivitis.

She will teach you the proper way to brush your teeth to effectively remove plaque from the teeth, along with flossing and rinsing to get rid of hidden plaque. All combined, these tips will help you keep your smile bright at home.

The Best Treatment from the Best Dentist in Houston

Taking care of your teeth is important to your overall health. We’re here to ensure your teeth get the care they need to be healthy.

Through teaching of proper cleaning techniques at home, you can prevent the onset of gingivitis and periodontal disease. Should you discover the symptoms of either of these two diseases, we’ll help you bring it under control so you can bring back your smile.