Did you know that in the United States, nearly 46% of adults over 30 have signs of Periodontal (gum) disease? Gum disease causes your gums to become inflamed and infected, eventually leading to tooth loss.
If you have gum disease, it's essential to understand what types of periodontal treatment you'll need to prevent future complications. You'll also need to find an experienced dentist in Chicago, IL, to guide you through your treatment course.
Keep reading this guide to learn about periodontal services and see how they can help you!
Periodontics is a type of dentistry that focuses on jawbone and gum health. A periodontist specializes in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of gum disease. Gum disease, also known as periodontal disease, occurs when your gums become inflamed and infected due to a build-up of plaque and bacteria.
It also affects other tissues around your teeth, which include:
Periodontists also perform specialized procedures like implant surgery, bone grafting, and dental crown lengthening
Your dentist may recommend that you see a periodontist for implant surgery or crown lengthening.
Also, although a general dentist can treat some gum problems, they'll usually advise you to see a periodontist for further treatment if your gum disease worsens. Common signs and symptoms that indicate you need to see an experienced periodontist include:
Swollen or puffy gums are often the first sign of early gum disease (gingivitis). If you leave this untreated, it can lead to severe infection and tooth loss.
Sometimes, gum inflammation can cause your gums to bleed when you floss, brush, or eat. Your gums will also feel tender to the touch.
Gum inflammation can form pockets around your teeth and cause your teeth to become loose over time. Your teeth will also feel more sensitive when you chew food. You'll find you have trouble chewing and eating your food normally.
Bad breath is common and can often be due to the foods you eat. However, bad breath that doesn't resolve on its own can be a sign you have a severe infection or damage to your teeth.
While receding gums can occur if you brush your teeth too hard, it's often a sign of advanced gum disease that needs treatment.
Depending on the severity of your gum disease, you can get different types of periodontal procedures. Typically for early-stage gum disease, you'll get non-surgical periodontal procedures which include:
Periodontal maintenance is a type of teeth cleaning your dentist might recommend if you have gum disease. However, in addition to cleaning your teeth, your periodontist will check your gum health. They do this by measuring the pockets that are around your teeth. This is because, with gum disease, you can lose jawbone around your teeth, which causes deep pockets to form.
Often people need these cleanings every 3 to 4 months, but your periodontist will decide on a schedule based on your condition.
Scaling and root planing (SRP) is another type of deep cleaning that can help to restore your dental health. First, you'll get local anesthesia to numb your gums. Next, the plaque and tartar are removed from underneath your gumline.
You'll also have rough spots on your tooth roots smoothed over to stop bacteria and plaque from building up. Once this is complete, your gum tissue can start to heal.
If your gum disease is severe, your periodontist may recommend different types of surgical procedures to restore your gum health. These procedures include:
Osseous surgery, also known as pocket-reduction surgery, is an option if the pockets around your teeth become too deep to clean effectively. If this is left untreated, the pockets will get deeper, and the affected teeth may need to be removed.
Osseous surgery eliminates this bacteria and helps decrease gum disease symptoms. During this surgery, you'll first get an anesthetic to numb your gums. Your periodontist will then trim back your gums, remove the bacteria, and smooth out any irregularly shaped bone.
Finally, your gums are sewn back into place so they can heal. Once the infection is cleared out completely, your gum tissue will be able to reattach to your teeth.
Sometimes, gum disease causes bone loss that's so severe that you'll need to have your teeth extracted. Although this doesn't cure gum disease, it's an important step in restoring your dental health.
When severe gum disease has destroyed the bone that supports your teeth, your periodontist will talk with you about regenerative procedures.
Bone grafts help you to grow new bone and create a strong foundation for dental implants. Dental implants are titanium posts implanted in your jaw that serve as artificial tooth roots.
After you heal from implant surgery, you'll have a metal post placed knowns as an abutment which will hold an artificial tooth. Implants will help to stimulate your jawbone and prevent future bone loss.
You can also get dental crown lengthening. During this procedure, your periodontist will remove gum tissue and bone to expose more of your tooth. This procedure helps your teeth to support crowns if they're decayed or broken.
If you have gum disease, it's important to see an experienced Dentist in Chicago, IL, for all your periodontal treatment needs.
You won't need to look any further than City Edge Dental for all your dental care needs. We offer a full scale of preventative dental services and periodontal services, including root canals and fillings. We also provide dental implants, crowns, veneers, and teeth whitening.
We've been serving the Chicago, IL, area since 1993 and offer compassionate, state-of-the-art dental care. We accept most insurance plans and offer membership plans if you don't have dental insurance.
We're committed to restoring your dental health, so make sure you contact us today to schedule an appointment!
