What is Periodontal Disease? | Prevention of Periodontal Disease | Periodontal Issues & Treatment
What is Periodontal Disease?
Periodontal simply means “the tissue around the teeth.” Periodontists specialize in the treatment and surgery of this area, which is often characterized by gum disease. Plaque is the most common element causing gum disease.
Unfortunately, periodontal-related problems are often discovered after they have persisted for an extended period of time. Proper oral hygiene, daily dental care and regular dental checkups will minimize the risk of gum disease. Gum disease ranges from mild (gingivitis) to moderate (periodintitis) to the severe (periodontitis). Treatments are available for every case of gum disease.
Common problems associated with gum disease:
- “Long” teeth (receding gum lines expose the root portions of your teeth)
- Discolored or deteriorating tooth structure
- Gum depressions (holes in between the teeth in the gum tissue)
- Infected gum line (discoloration or inflammation of the gum tissue)
- Tooth loss or tooth movement
The effects of gum disease can be damaging to your dental health. However, through proper preventive care and oral hygiene, you can avoid problems associated with gum disease.
Please contact our office for a periodontal evaluation.
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Prevention of Periodontal Disease
Gum disease occurs as a result of the build-up of plaque and calculus. With the advancements in today’s technology, Dr. Perim is able to recognize a number of different types of bacteria that cause periodontitis. There are studies being conducted today that suggest that periodontal disease may be contagious, which can put your family at risk. We want to ensure you are thoroughly educated about the ways you can reduce the possibility of spreading these gum disease causing bacteria, so you can continue kissing your loved ones.
Early detection and treatment is the key to minimizing the progression and/or transmission of periodontal disease. Schedule your complimentary screening for you and members of your family today. Dr. Perim will check to see if periodontal disease is present. An additional appointment can be reserved if a comprehensive examination is necessary.
Feel free to contact our office if you have questions regarding your periodontal health.
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Periodontal Issues & Treatment
Crown Lengthening | Soft Tissue Grafting | Extractions
We are proud to offer our patients a wide range of dental services under one roof. This flexibility not only saves you time, but it keeps your total dental health in mind. Our focus is on complete preventive care for each of our patients.
We strive to provide our patients with the highest standard of services for restoring mouths that have suffered from dental disease or injury. Dr. Perim and his team are dedicated to helping each of their patients achieve and maintain a beautiful, healthy smile for a lifetime. Using the latest treatments and technological advancements available, we are confident you will be satisfied with the quality of care you receive.
Some of the periodontal services we offer include:
Crown Lengthening
Dental decay can often lead to a tooth fracture or broken tooth. Occasionally, this fracture or break can extend deep into the tooth and/or root, make it impossible to be repaired, thus requiring an extraction. In other cases, the gum tissue surrounding the tooth may extend too far over the tooth, taking away from the natural beauty of the tooth.
Crown lengthening is a simple surgical procedure where the position of the gum around a tooth is adjusted to expose more of the tooth structure. If a tooth is decayed, broken below the gum line or has insufficient crown height, there might not be enough tooth structure available to accommodate restoration procedures, such as a crown or bridge. In these instances, crown lengthening surgery may be necessary in order to provide more tooth structure for Dr. Perim to work with.
For the patient’s comfort, a local anesthetic is used to numb the surgical area. Typically, little to no discomfort is felt as your periodontist reshapes the gum and bone tissue to expose more structure of the damaged tooth. Following the surgery, the treated area may be a little tender, sore or swollen; painkillers and antibiotics may be prescribed to help relieve discomfort and prevent infection from occurring.
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Soft Tissue Grafting
Losing some or all of the protective gum tissue that surrounds the teeth is common. This is referred to as gum recession (gingival recession). Gingival recession makes teeth susceptible to further gum and supportive bone loss, which could eventually lead to tooth loss. When tooth roots are exposed, teeth appear too long and can become sensitive to hot and cold liquids and foods.
Soft tissue grafts are available to repair this problem as well as prevent further recession, bone loss or decay. The procedure covers the roots where excessive gum recession is present, therefore protecting your teeth. Today’s advancements in technology has allowed us to perform this procedure without taking tissue from the roof of your mouth.
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Extractions
Your third molars are more commonly called “wisdom teeth.” Usually appearing in the late teens or early twenties, third molars often lack the proper space in the jaw to erupt fully or even at all. This common condition is called impaction. When any tooth lacks the space to come through or simply develops in the wrong place of your jaw and becomes impacted, problems can arise. Primarily, damage to adjacent teeth and crowding occur.
In certain cases, the wisdom tooth that cannot come through becomes inflamed under the gums and in the jawbone, causing a sac to develop around the root of the tooth that then fills with liquid. This can cause a cyst or an abscess if it becomes infected. If either of these situations goes untreated, serious damage to the underlying bone and surrounding teeth and tissues can result.
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