Periodontal Disease Treatment

PERIODONTAL DISEASE MEANS BONE LOSS

People with periodontal disease have to work harder to take care of their teeth than people that don’t have periodontal disease. The difference between gingivitis and periodontitis is that gingivitis does not involve bone loss, while periodontal disease does. Many people let this disease go untreated, and end up losing teeth despite no decay. Periodontal disease is a slippery slope, and the further it progresses, the harder it is to keep under control.

With periodontal disease, tartar, or calculus, builds up in the pocket between the gums and the teeth. This starts as plaque, which is why plaque control is so important. Once the calculus has hardened enough, it is no longer possible to remove it with a toothbrush or floss, and a deep cleaning is needed. If the gums are healthy and well-taken care of, they are more firm and able to resist the influx of plaque and calculus.

In treating periodontal disease, we need to get clean everything up, and then train the patient to keep them clean. For home care, we recommend a good electric toothbrush used twice per day, and flossing daily to get each surface facing another tooth. For some patients with deeper pockets, we often recommend a waterpik.