Various Phases of Periodontal Treatment
Periodontal infections are conditions involving the structures around the teeth but not the teeth themselves. The structures include the gums, alveolar bone, and periodontal ligament. Periodontal infections can progress from gingivitis, the first stage of periodontal infection affecting the gums to other structures.
Periodontal diseases result from dental plaque and bacteria combining to cause various symptoms, including bleeding and swollen gums, persistent bad breath, sensitive and loose teeth, pain when chewing, and gum recession.
Periodontal infections are best treated as soon as possible from the dentist 75028 because the condition links to increased risk factors for the conditions like heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and respiratory disease.
If you are diagnosed with periodontal infections and visit the dentist in flower mound, you are taken through the different phases of periodontal treatment. The phases include:
The Etiological Phase
Periodontal treatment in flower mound starts with the etiological phase focusing on controlling the infection and restoring the healthy microbiota present in your mouth. The dentist tries to identify why you have developed periodontal disease to address the root cause of the problem.
The etiological phase educates you on taking proper care at home, not just of your mouth but also your overall health. You must maintain excellent oral hygiene besides quitting smoking if you are a smoker.
Dentists also perform procedures like scaling and root planing to clean your teeth profoundly and remove plaque and tartar buildup from your teeth and the gum line. The dentist may also prescribe antibiotics if needed.
The Surgical Phase
Your treatment moves from the etiological phase to the surgical stage when conservative treatments weren’t adequate to treat gingivitis. Recommendations for the surgical phase will likely come from your dentist if you have deep infections and the plaque and tartar are challenging to clean. Assessment for the surgical phase happens between four to eight weeks after the initial treatment.
The surgical phase includes leveling shallow defects in the bone or adopting regenerative surgical techniques for deep bone defects. The surgery aims to remove pockets of space between your teeth and bone easily broken down or destroyed with periodontal disease. The surgery eliminates the area where plaque, bacteria, and tartar accumulate.
The Maintenance Phase
The maintenance phase focuses on preventing the return of the periodontal disease. If you don’t maintain your teeth and mouth appropriately, the chances of a recurrence are high.
The flower mound dentist details oral hygiene practices must follow carefully, including brushing and flossing your teeth without exceptions every day. You must ensure you clean your teeth appropriately, attempting to reach even the difficult-to-get areas. Dentists recommend mouthwash to eliminate any leftover bacteria and request you schedule quarterly appointments instead of waiting for six months or the routine exams and cleanings.
If you need extensive surgery, you may also require a restorative phase. Dental implants or other prosthetics are inserted if you lost teeth or ample tissue or bone during the surgical phase. However, you must go through the three stages mentioned above if you are affected by periodontal disease.
What Are Periodontal Treatment Options Available for Periodontitis?
The precise treatments your dentist or surgeon chooses depend on the severity of your condition.
Dentists generally begin with nonsurgical treatments giving you deep cleanings involving scaling and root planing, often effective to treat periodontal disease in the initial stages. Dentists scrape the tartar from above and below the gum line besides any rough spots on the tooth. The procedure helps remove bacteria contributing to the gum infection were also in recent years where bacteria accumulate.
Dentists prescribe antibiotics as a systemic for oral ingestion or enzyme suppressants in low doses to keep destructive enzymes from flourishing.
If you have an advanced infection, you may need surgical pocket reductions to clean up tartar and reduce pocket size. The procedure called flap surgery makes it easier to clean the area and prevent infections from developing in the future.
Your dentist will clean the pockets during surgical pocket reduction, carefully removing tartar deposits by lifting the gums to clean beneath them. The gums are thereafter sutured back to fit snugly around the tooth.
Suppose you have suffered bone or tissue loss to require bone of tissue grafts recommended by the dentist besides pocket reduction surgery. These procedures help regenerate lost bone and tissue.
Periodontal disease is an entirely preventable condition requiring you merely to maintain excellent dental hygiene and visit your dentist frequently for exams and checkups. Allow periodontal disease to develop in your mouth, and you must prepare yourself to go through various phases of periodontal treatment depending on the severity of your condition.