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Gum Disease Treatment in Dallas
Did you know that nearly half of American adults over 30 have some form of gum disease? Left untreated, it can damage the tissue and bone that hold your teeth in place — and eventually cause tooth loss. Worse, the bacteria and inflammation behind gum disease are linked to serious health problems like heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and pregnancy complications.
The good news is that gum disease is almost entirely preventable with good oral hygiene and regular dental check-ups. First, in its early stage, you can usually reverse it simply by brushing and flossing daily and properly, plus a regular cleaning at DentUrgent. Moreover, even in moderate to advanced stages, our dentists can often still reverse it with appropriate treatment.
Stages of Gum Disease
Periodontal (gum) disease has three stages: gingivitis, periodontitis, and advanced periodontitis. However, gum disease is often completely painless, so you should stay aware of the signs and symptoms!
Gingivitis is the mildest form of periodontal disease. At this stage, bacteria in plaque has built up, which leaves the gums irritated, inflamed, red, and sometimes prone to bleeding easily when you brush your teeth. Additionally, the space between teeth and gum begins to deepen, forming pockets. However, only the gums are affected, so it is highly treatable; fortunately, no damage has occurred to bone or other tissue yet. Moreover, starting from this stage, you may notice persistent bad breath or a metallic taste in the mouth. Although these symptoms are sometimes difficult to detect without a dental examination, if left untreated, gingivitis can progress to periodontitis.
Periodontitis is a serious gum infection that has spread to the bone supporting the teeth. As pockets between the teeth get deeper, debris, bacteria, and plaque accumulate and spread below the gum line. Consequently, redness, swelling, and bleeding develop or worsen. Moreover, in this stage of periodontal disease, some irreversible bone and tissue loss occurs, and your teeth may start to feel a bit loose.
In advanced periodontitis, pockets deepen even more and can fill with pus. Additionally, toxins from the buildup of bacterial plaque and tartar further deteriorate the gum tissue, bone, and ligaments that support the teeth. As a result, teeth often feel extremely sensitive to hot and cold, become loose, and may even need removal to prevent the disease from spreading further.
Non-Surgical and Surgical Gum
Disease Treatments
Although the effects of gum disease sound (and are!) quite scary, fortunately, modern dentistry provides many treatment options that can halt progression and even reverse the disease entirely!
Gingivitis is typically easily reversed with a professional regular dental cleaning and good daily oral hygiene (brushing and flossing). However, more advanced stages of gum disease require professional dental treatment. Fortunately, your dentist can recommend several surgical and non-surgical options according to your specific case.
Scaling and root planing is typically the first step in treating periodontitis. It is a non-surgical process, known colloquially as a dental “deep cleaning.” First, scaling removes plaque, tartar, and bacterial toxins on your teeth both above and below the gum line. Next, root planing smooths the tooth root surfaces, which makes it more difficult for bacteria to adhere and easier for the gums to reattach to the teeth and heal. After a few weeks, our dentists will evaluate how well your gums have healed and then determine whether further treatment is necessary. Fortunately, in most periodontitis cases, scaling and root planing coupled with continuous good oral hygiene reverses the disease entirely!
Surgical treatments become necessary when scaling and root planing alone cannot heal the disease, usually in cases of advanced periodontitis. However, when our dentists perform scaling and root planing first, the amount of surgery required usually decreases. Specifically, surgical options can include pocket reduction or flap surgery, gum or bone grafts, and regenerative therapy.