Gum Disease Treatment – Brick Township, NJ
Saving Your Mouth from Gum Disease
Periodontal disease – or gum disease – is incredibly common in almost half of adults over 30 years old. While early symptoms (such as redness and swelling) might not seem that serious, the advanced stages of the disease can put your teeth and your overall oral health at serious risk. At Nu Dental Brick, once signs of periodontal infection have been identified, Dr. Gizachew will quickly develop a treatment plan to treat the infection and give your mouth a chance to heal. Are you troubled by inflamed or bleeding gums? Call us for an appointment today to discuss gum disease treatment in Brick Township, NJ.
Why Choose Nu Dental Brick for Gum Disease Treatment?
- State-of-the-Art Soft Tissue Lasers
- Expert Dentist and Team That Care
- Convenient Evening Dental Office Hours
What is Gum Disease?
Gum (periodontal) disease is an infection of the gums and connective tissues holding your teeth in place. In many cases, this situation occurs due to the accumulation of plaque and tartar, which typically happens because of poor oral hygiene. Without proper treatment, it can result in permanent damage to the gums, tooth loss, and other more serious oral health complications. There are usually two stages of gum disease:
- Gingivitis: As the earliest stage of gum disease, this is when you can reverse your situation by bettering your oral hygiene routine as well as visiting your dentist for checkups and cleanings.
- Periodontitis: This is the more advanced stage of periodontal disease, which can only be treated to help avoid serious issues, such as tooth loss.
Certain factors can typically raise your risk of getting gum disease, like poor oral hygiene, smoking or chewing tobacco products, certain medications, immune-compromising conditions, genetics, and even hormonal changes during pregnancy.
Symptoms of Gum Disease
Here are the typical symptoms of gum disease in their various stages and what to look out for:
Gingivitis:
- Red/swollen gums
- Tender gums
- Bleeding when brushing and/or flossing
- Gum recession
- Bad breath (halitosis)
Periodontitis:
- Loose teeth
- Pain while chewing
- Tooth sensitivity
- Changes in a restoration’s fit (like dentures, etc.)
- Permanent tooth loss
How Do We Treat Gum Disease?
Some of the ways our team can address gum disease include:
Scaling & Root Planing
Gum disease is linked to a buildup of plaque and tartar on your teeth and gums. To get rid of these harmful substances from wherever they’re hiding in your mouth, we can perform a deep cleaning procedure known as scaling and root planing. Scaling involves removing plaque and tartar from above and below the gumline with special instruments; we’ll clean down to the bottom of the pockets that have formed between your teeth and gums. Then, during the root planing phases, the surfaces of the roots will be smoothed so that they can be reattached to the gums.
Antibiotic Treatment
After the initial process of scaling and root planing is complete, we can place a special antibiotic called Arestin in your periodontal pockets. Arestin consists of multiple microspheres containing medication; as time goes on, the medication will slowly be released so that it can kill any bacteria that return to the area. Doing this allows us to continue to protect your mouth from an infection while your gums are still in the process of recovering.
Osseous Surgery
If gum disease has been allowed to continue for too long, pockets may have formed in the bone surrounding the teeth. To eliminate these pockets and prevent further damage, osseous surgery can be performed. After the roots of the teeth have been cleaned, we’ll reshape the surrounding bone tissue; bone grafting will also be required. The gums will have to be opened during this procedure, but they will be placed back and sutured at the end of the procedure.