At Timberlands Dental Care, our Red Deer dentist provides non-surgical gum therapy for patients who are experiencing gingivitis, gum disease and other problems.
Pay attention to your gum health
One of the biggest causes of tooth loss in adults is gum disease. Gum disease starts off as gingivitis which symptoms include inflamed gums and tissues that bleed easily when flossing. Because gingivitis develops slowly and usually contains few noticeable symptoms, many people have it without realizing it. The good news is that since gingivitis only impacts your outer surfaces, the symptoms may be successfully treated with proper brushing and flossing.
As gingivitis develops and becomes more serious, it turns into periodontitis. Unlike gingivitis, periodontitis impacts your underlying tissues that keep your teeth in place. As the infection attacks your underlying tissues, your gums will pull away from your teeth, causing pockets to develop between them. Bacteria can get trapped in these pockets which lead to further breakdown of your teeth and gums. Eventually, the teeth will become so loose that they may fall out.
Prevention is key
The best way to avoid these problems is by brushing and flossing every day. Brushing and flossing eliminates the plaque that is responsible for gum disease. To determine if you have gum disease, you will have to come in for a checkup. Dr. Phil Henriksen, Red Deer dentist, will inspect your teeth and gums to see if gum disease is present. If the infection is found and if it’s progressed to a fairly serious stage, we may recommend non-surgical gum therapy as an effective way to eradicate the gum disease.
The ups & downs of gum therapy
Non-surgical gum therapy uses more aggressive non-surgical techniques to remove the harmful bacteria below the gum line.
Curettage gets rid of the tooth’s surrounding soft tissues that have become infected. This process gives the tissues to heal. Root planing is a technique which smoothes and cleans the tooth’s root surface. Local medication also helps to stop the infection from spreading.
These techniques are done during the same appointment. We may need more than one session to successfully treat gum disease. During your sessions, we will continue to keep an eye on your gums and ensure that they are healing properly. If your gums need further treatment, we can recommend a periodontist who specializes in the surgical treatment of diseased gums.
