Non-Surgical Gum Treatments

So much is heard about the importance of good dental hygiene and seeing your dentist regularly for the health and longevity of your teeth. But what is also just as important as keeping your teeth healthy is ensuring your gums are healthy and well-taken care of.

Periodontology, or periodontics, is the area of dentistry that deals with the supporting structures of teeth and the diseases and conditions that affect them, namely, your gums and jaw bones.

Periodontal diseases are most often the result of bacterial infections of the gums, and, if left untreated, can lead to tooth loss and bone loss. There are also serious general health concerns as periodontal or gum disease is found to be closely linked to heart disease, diabetes, low birth weight babies, and pancreatic cancer.

According to the American Academy of Periodontology (APA), the foremost cause of gum disease is plaque buildup, which forms on your teeth continuously. This sticky, clear substance can be somewhat eliminated with regular, twice-a-day flossing and brushing of the teeth; however, these methods do not adequately rid the teeth and gums of all plaque, so routine professional cleaning is essential.

Almost 75% of the general population does not get their teeth professionally cleaned on a basis regular enough to prevent gingivitis (inflammation of the gums), which, if left untreated, turns into periodontitis (advanced gum disease). If the dentists at Aesthetic Dental Studio in Calgary, Alberta. Canada can catch the gum problems before they reach the stage of periodontitis, non-surgical gum treatments can be utilized to successfully save your teeth. Typical non-surgical gum treatments include root planning and scaling, and are usually advised if pockets exist between your gums and teeth that exceed a depth of three millimeters.

Read about how Teeth Cleanings Help to Prevent Heart Disease.

Treatment Methods

Root Planing

To plane the roots of affected teeth, a special instrument is used to remove hard deposits and to smooth the surface of the roots. This allows the gums to reattach to the teeth as they heal and reduces the pockets that lie between the gums and teeth that trap bacteria.

Scaling

Scaling, usually done in conjunction with root planing, removes plaque, calculus (calcified deposits on the teeth), and stains from the crown of the tooth to the root.

Root Planing & Scaling vs. Regular Professional Cleaning

Scaling and root planing is considered "conventional periodontal therapy" and differs from regular professional cleanings by cleaning deeper beneath the gum line and eliminating more than the soft, sticky plaque that is removed by general cleaning. It is a much more thorough method of cleaning than routine cleanings, and with root planing, the surface of the roots are actually smoothed by the use of a mechanical instrument to facilitate the teeth being able to reattach to the gums.

Laser Gum Therapy

Thanks to recent advances in laser development, our team uses techniques that speed the healing process of your gum tissue. Why lasers? They can disinfect gum tissue with greater accuracy by producing a beam of concentrated light. And since the laser seals off blood vessels, the chance of future infection is minimized.

To see if you have gum disease or to have it treated to prevent tooth loss, please contact the dental team at Aesthetic Dental Studio today to schedule your initial appointment. The longer you wait, the more serious the damage to your gums and teeth will become.