Periodontal Treatment – Aspen Hill, MD
Giving Your Teeth a Healthy Foundation
Your teeth are obviously very important to your oral health, but your gums matter a great deal too! When too much plaque and bacteria is able to collect on them, it can lead to an infection known as gum disease. This is characterized by redness, swelling, and bleeding, and these are just the early symptoms. Without professional care, your teeth can even fall out. If your gums feel more sensitive than usual, call the Dental Center of Aspen Hill today! We can provide you with localized options for gum disease treatment in Aspen Hill, MD that is necessary to restore and protect your smile!
Why Choose Dental Center of Aspen Hill for Gum Disease Treatment?
- Routine Gum Screenings During All Checkups
- Detailed Specialty Cleanings to Remove Infection
- Advanced and Comfortable Technology with Laser Gum Care
What is Gum Disease?
Also known as periodontal disease, this inflammatory infection is caused by harmful bacteria found in plaque and calculus, particularly around the gumline. These bacteria irritate and infect the gum tissue, eventually spreading to the jawbone and putting your entire smile at risk. In fact, studies have found that untreated gum disease can affect the entire body! It can increase your risk of cardiovascular disease, dementia and Alzheimer's, and even certain kinds of cancer. In other words, it is important to treat gum disease as soon as possible to preserve not just your teeth and gums but also your overall health and well-being.
Symptoms of Gum Disease
Early on, infected gums appear red and puffy and tend to bleed easily when you brush or floss. As the disease progresses, however, the gums pull away from teeth or recede, creating pockets under the gum surface where plaque can hide and accumulate deeper. Because of the bacteria, you might also find that you have persistent bad breath or a bad taste in your mouth. Eventually, teeth can feel loose and even come out completely.
How Do We Treat Gum Disease?
The sooner we can address periodontal disease, the better! In the early stage, this infection may be reversed through a simple, routine cleaning and more diligent at-home brushing and flossing. More advanced gum disease may require scaling and root planing, antibiotic treatment, or laser treatment, depending on the severity. After we’ve assessed your condition, we can break down a detailed plan for getting this infection under control.
Scaling & Root Planing
While similar to a routine dental cleaning, scaling and root planing treatment is meant to focus solely on the roots of the teeth the gum line. During scaling, we use an ultrasonic cleaner to remove plaque and deposits around the roots of the teeth. These deposits are the underlying cause of gum disease. Then, we’ll begin smoothing out the rough surfaces of the roots so that it’s far more difficult for plaque to collect on them moving forward. This reduces the risk of reinfections later.
Antibiotic Treatment
In between your teeth, there are very tiny spaces known as periodontal pockets. These are the main spots where gum disease bacteria typically gather and develop. Since they are quite difficult to clean with regular dental instruments, we opt for antibiotic therapy instead. You will take the antibiotics orally just like you would any other medication. After a bit of time taking the medication, you’ll come back to our office so we can see if and how it is working.
Soft Tissue Laser Dentistry
To make your treatment even more comfortable, we use a soft tissue laser to remove any harmful bacteria from along the gum line. Through a concentrated beam of light, the soft tissue laser vaporizes all bacteria, leaving healthy gum tissue completely untouched. Since this advanced instrument emits no heat, sound or vibrations, you likely won’t even need local anesthetic to complete your treatment!