Advanced Periodontal Disease Treatment in Houston

Without proper care to treat the underlying problem, periodontal disease can lead to the third, most damaging stage of gum disease: advanced periodontitis. This stage begins to affect the bones of your jaw and your teeth, and can be more difficult to treat.

Advanced periodontal disease treatment in Houston is available and effective, but it is certainly more involved than either of the treatments for earlier stages of gum disease.

Causes of Periodontal Disease Infections

Like with the previous stages of gum disease, advanced periodontal disease also primarily stems from poor oral hygiene where bacteria is allowed to grow unchecked from hardened plaque, called tartar.

There are also some risk factors that increase the chances of developing advanced periodontitis:

●     Smoking: The toxins and carcinogens in tobacco are very damaging to the gums, among other things

●     Diabetes: People who suffer from diabetes also have weakened immune systems, and this can hinder the body’s response to infections.

●     Medications: There are some drugs including medications that increase the risk of gum disease.

●     Improper Implants: Dental implants that are not well fitted can be breeding grounds for bacteria.

●     Hormonal Changes / Heredity: A family history of periodontal disease also increases the risk of developing the disease.

Periodontal Disease Treatments in Houston

Nonsurgical Treatment

There is a nonsurgical periodontal disease treatment option called Scaling and Root Planing (SRP) that removes plaque and tartar from teeth to promote healthy tissue regrowth on the gums.

This procedure can be very uncomfortable and could take several visits to complete. As a result, sedation dentistry is recommended to reduce discomfort as much as possible.

Surgical Treatment

There are also several surgical treatments available for advanced periodontal disease. All of these would utilize sedation dentistry in addition to local anesthetics to reduce discomfort as much as possible.

·         Flap surgery uses a few small incisions in the gums to provide access to the bones and teeth underneath. Once accessible, your Memorial dentist can scale the teeth from the inside, removing tartar buildup to help the gums heal.

·         Soft tissue grafts can be taken from the roof of the mouth and attached to the gums if they have receded too far. This both protects the roots of teeth and improves appearance.

·         Bone grafts may be necessary if the bones of your jaw have become infected from the advanced periodontitis. Infected jaws increase the risk of teeth falling out, but repairing damaged areas will keep them firmly in place.

·         Guided tissue regeneration uses a special fabric to encourage your gum tissue to regrow on its own. The fabric sits between your jawbone and teeth at risk of falling out, and when the tissue regrows and the bone heals, the tooth remains in place.

·         Enamel matrix derivative application works similarly to guided tissue regeneration, but it’s designed to regenerate enamel around tooth roots. The gel includes proteins that are found in new and developing teeth, which stimulates growth.

Advanced Periodontal Disease Care from the Best Dentist in Houston

At Naba Dental, we endeavor to bring you the best care and keep you comfortable throughout every procedure.

We are here to provide the best dental care in Houston and our central location as a dentist in the 77057 area of Houston makes it easy to come by, whether it’s for a checkup or advanced periodontal disease treatment.

Finding Affordable Periodontal Treatment in Houston

Gum disease, known in the dental field as periodontal disease, is a very serious affliction of the gums that can ultimately lead to painful gums, tooth loss, and bone infections if left untreated.

Periodontitis can be prevented with proper hygiene and oral care, but if it does develop, you are not without help. A skilled Houston dentist can treat the problem and send you home with the means to stave off the infection and get back to normal.

Severity Level

Periodontitis is the second of three levels for periodontal disease.

Level 1:The first level is gingivitis, which is usually a nuisance, but doesn’t otherwise affect the patient on a grand scale.

Level 2:Once gingivitis advances, or is skipped entirely at times, periodontitis poses a more serious threat. At this stage, the gums can become tender to the touch and discolored, pus may be seen around the gums, and teeth may become separated from their neighbors or become loose.

Level 3:The next stage of periodontitis, advanced periodontitis, poses even greater risks, such as losing teeth and having an infection in the jawbone.

Risks, Causes, and Symptoms

There are certain factors that can affect the development of gum disease:

●     Carcinogens and toxins found in cigarettes, cigars, and other tobacco products increase the risk of periodontal disease and lung or mouth cancer.

●     Weakened immune systems of diabetics.

●     The greatest, most common risk, however, comes from poor oral hygiene habits. Taking good care of your teeth will do a lot more than make them look good; it can very well prevent diseases.

The actual cause of periodontitis is the hardening of plaque at the gum line to form tartar. This denser form of plaque is home to a whole colony of bacteria that looks for a new food source: the soft tissue of the gums.

Ultimately, this infestation leads to an infection, which becomes periodontitis.

           

The earliest symptoms of gum disease you might notice are those of gingivitis: swollen or bleeding gums. With great care, you can reverse the course of gum disease at this stage, but leaving it untouched can cause it to progress.

When the gums become a bright red or purple color, become swollen and tender, and have a perpetual bad breath even after brushing, they’ve reached the stage of periodontitis. In more severe cases, you might also notice loose teeth, a space developing between teeth, or pus.

Periodontal Disease Treatment in Houston

●     A visual examination is performed at our Tanglewood dentist office to determine the extent of the gum disease.

●     A dental probe checks for pocket depth under the gums. Shallow pockets mean healthy gums while deep pockets signify infection.

●     If deep pockets are found, x-ray imaging checks the inside of gums and the surrounding bones and teeth.

●     In minor to moderate cases of periodontal disease, we perform scaling to scrape the hardened tartar from the teeth and under the gums.

○     This process can be uncomfortable, but with sedation dentistry reduces the amount of discomfort felt during the procedure.

●     In more severe cases, root planing is also used. This procedure smooths out the roots of the teeth to reduce the area where bacteria can cling and cause further infection.

●     Lastly, an antibiotic may be prescribed to kill off any remaining infection.