How to Treat Gum Disease

How to Treat Gum Disease?

Many American adults are known to suffer from gum problems that can range from mild inflammation to severe pain and bleeding. The soft tissue that holds the teeth in place are damaged and in advanced stages the bones are also affected. The ultimate result is tooth loss. Renowned dentist in Houston, Dr. Amanda Canto suggest that people should visit their dentists frequently so that any condition that can give arise to gum problems can be detected at an early stage.

Besides smoking, diabetes, hormonal changes in women, what makes matters worse is stress. Dr. Canto points out that in today’s society, we have to handle a lot of stress which weakens our immune systems and makes us even more susceptible to gum diseases. As a preventive measure, Dr. Canto suggests that people should see their dentists in every 4 months and if they notice symptoms like bleeding, puffy gums or bad breath, they must take action immediately.

Treatments for Gum Diseases

While you see a dentist in Houston, he would assess your gums to determine the severity of the disease and then treat you accordingly. There are various treatment options for people suffering from gum problems, which would depend on their overall health and the way they have responded to earlier treatments.

The treatments range from non-surgical therapies to surgical ones that are done to restore the supportive tissues. If you have mild gum problems you’ll be prescribed non-surgical treatments, while if you are in an advanced stage and the tissues and bones are affected, you might have to undergo restorative surgery.

Non-Surgical Therapies

  • When you see a dentist in Houston for check-up, he will clean up the plaque and tartar accumulated above and below the gum line. These cannot be cleaned at home with normal cleaning and flossing. For this, you will need professional cleaning and only a dental care specialist can do it efficiently.
  • If the tartar is not cleaned properly, it becomes a breeding ground for bacteria. Moreover, hormonal problems or hormonal changes can cause severe inflammation leading to bacterial infection that might release puss and even destroy your teeth, explains Dr. Canto.
  • Deep cleaning involves scaling and planing, with help of which your dentist would remove the plaque and calculus from above and below the gum line. Scaling helps in removing the deposits from gum line, while root planing helps in getting rid of the tough spots from the tooth root. This makes the gums clean and offers better grip to the teeth.

Surgical Therapies

  • Flap Surgery: If the deep pockets and inflammation remain after deep cleaning, the dentist may move on to surgical treatments. A flap surgery enables the dentist to remove plaque and tartar from the deep pockets and reduce them as well, so that you can maintain better hygiene. This procedure involves lifting the gums and cleaning the area within and then placing it back on the teeth so that it holds the teeth better. The gums heal naturally after surgery and hold on to the teeth tightly. Since gum diseases pull away the gums from the teeth, they become loose and if left untreated it can lead tooth loss. This is an effective therapy, since the gums are positioned properly.
  • Bone and Tissue Grafts: Severe Periodontitis leads to bone and tissue loss. So if you are in an advanced stage of Periodontitis, your dentist in Houston may suggest bone and tissue grafts along with flap surgery. In this procedure, the periodontist would be placing natural or synthetic bone in the area where the bone is damaged and help the bone to grow. Guided tissue regeneration can be done along with bone grafting, which ensures the tissue remains in place and does not hinder bone growth. In cases where the tissue is damaged, the dentist would place synthetic material or take tissues from other parts and place in the damaged area.

The treatment required solely depends on the condition of the gums and cannot be predicted anyway. So if you notice something wrong with your gums, make sure you see a dentist at the earliest. Early detection means you can get the problems treated with non-surgical methods and medications, which is less painful. Dr. Canto says that in order to keep away gum diseases, one needs to maintain proper oral hygiene and follow rigid oral care at home.