There are several approaches that a dentist can take when faced with treating gum disease, a great deal of the decision that those who practice Chicago periodontics have to make is based on the stage of the disease, how the patient has responded to previous treatment and the overall health of the patient. Treatments can be as simple as therapy that controls the growth of bacteria through surgery to restore supportive tissue.
Non-surgical treatments:
Those professionals that practice Chicago periodontics usually turn to professional cleaning, scaling and root planning; all of which are non-invasive treatments.
* Professional cleaning: When the dentist or dental hygienist is cleaning your teeth their objective is to remove built up plaque and tartar from your teeth. Only a professional cleaning can guarantee that all this material will be removed from both above and below the gum line. If there are signs of gum disease the dentist will usually recommend more than two cleanings a year.
* Scaling and root planning: This is a more aggressive approach to professional cleaning and is often done under a local anesthetic. During this treatment the dentist scrapes away all evidence of plaque and tartar from well below the gum line and smoothes any rough spots on the root. These procedures are done to eliminate bacteria and to provide a superior surface for the gum tissue to reattach to.
Surgical treatments:
Two of the more common surgical treatments are bone and soft tissue grafts. As these are surgical procedures the work will normally be carried out under general anesthesia.
* Bone grafts: When the oral surgeon responsible for Chicago periodontics feels that a bone graft is necessary to replace bone which has been destroyed by disease he or she will use bone from your jaw or bone which has been collected from a cadaver. The bone acts as a platform that new bone grows on, this stabilizes the teeth.
* Soft tissue grafts: During this procedure the surgeon fills areas where the gum has receded or reinforces thin gums. In the majority of cases the tissue is harvested from the roof of the patient’s mouth.
Patients who are religious about having check-ups twice a year rarely have to undergo surgical intervention, root scaling and root planing are usually all that is needed to keep their gums healthy. Surgical intervention is only used when the gums cannot be repaired any other way.
Chicago periodontics is that dental specialty that deals with the treatment of gum disease and the tissue that supports your teeth. If you notice that your gums bleed after brushing or consistent bad breath you should make an early appointment with the periodontist at the Art of Modern Dentistry.
