How do dentists treat gum disease?

Gum disease, also known as periodontal disease, is an infection of the gums, the soft tissues in your mouth that surround your teeth and jawbone. This infection is caused by harmful bacteria that is housed in plaque, which is a soft & sticky film that builds on our teeth every single day.  

Gum disease afflicts more than half of adults over the age of 30 in America! It is a serious infection that can not only lead to tooth loss but can also affect your overall health as well. What is even worse is that many don’t even realize they have it. So how is gum disease treated?

Non-surgical treatment options

Unfortunately, because gum disease is caused by bacteria that is forming in your mouth daily, there is not a complete cure for the disease, only management with a combination of periodontal therapy and proper oral home care. How easily gum health can be managed depends on your level of disease, risk factors, periodontal maintenance schedule, and your own home care.

• After therapy, home care is an important part of periodontal health management. Your dentist will help you create an effective home care routine that will fit your needs. This routine may include power toothbrushes, various flossing or in-between cleaning tools, special toothpaste, and mouth rinses. Home therapies can help reduce bacteria but alone cannot treat your disease because the infection has already caused damage to underlying tissues that require professional periodontal therapy.
• Scaling and root planing is another option. This is a deep-cleaning, nonsurgical procedure, done under a local anesthetic, whereby plaque and tartar from above and below the gum line are scraped away (scaling) and rough spots on the tooth root are made smooth (planing). Smoothing the rough spots removes bacteria and provides a clean surface for the gums to reattach to the teeth. Scaling and root planing is done if your dentist or periodontist determines that you have plaque and calculus under the gums that need to be removed.

Surgical treatments for gum disease

• Flap surgery/pocket reduction surgery– During this procedure, the gums are lifted back and the tartar is removed. The gums are then placed so that the tissue fits snugly around the tooth. This method reduces the size of the space between the gum and tooth, thereby decreasing the areas where harmful bacteria can grow and decreasing the chance of serious health problems associated with periodontal disease.
• Bone grafts involve using fragments of your own bone, synthetic bone, or donated bone to replace bone destroyed by gum disease. The grafts serve as a platform for the regrowth of bone, which restores stability to teeth.
• Soft tissue grafts reinforce thin gums or fill in places where gums have receded. Grafted tissue, most often taken from the roof of the mouth, is stitched in place, adding tissue to the affected area.
• Guided tissue regeneration is performed when the bone supporting your teeth has been destroyed. Done in combination with flap surgery, a small piece of mesh-like fabric is inserted between the bone and gum tissue. This keeps the gum tissue from growing into the area where the bone should be, allowing the bone and connective tissue to regrow to better support the teeth.
• Bone surgery following flap surgery, the bone around the tooth is reshaped to decrease the craters. This makes it harder for bacteria to collect and grow.

To best maintain your gum health, it is best to see a periodontist to discuss your own level of disease, personal risk factors, treatment options, home care routine, and maintenance schedule that will help you stabilize your disease and offer continued periodontal management.