For every seven middle-aged and older Canadians, one reportedly has severe gum disease according to the Canadian Dental Association. The word severe makes an important distinction; gum disease can start as inflamed and red tissues (gingivitis) and progress to periodontitis. In the advanced stage, the teeth actually separate from the gums. Bacteria gather in the spaces between the teeth and tissue. Eventually the tooth becomes loose, or an infection may become so bad that treatment cannot save the tooth.
The good news is there are many opportunities to catch the disease early and halt its progression before it leads to destructive periodontitis.
While the best approach to gum disease is prevention, there are many ways to address existing gingivitis or periodontitis. Gum disease treatment depends partly on the stage of disease, which is identified by examining your mouth. Dr. Kotecha and her staff at Dentistry on 10, which is near Port Credit, are trained to look for red or bleeding gums and pockets between the teeth and soft tissues where the gums have pulled away. The pockets are measured. The deeper the pocket, the greater the risk of infection and irreversible damage.
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Non-surgical options
A thorough, professional cleaning can remove tartar that is too hard to be removed with at-home techniques and tools. An examination may also reveal the need to repair worn or broken restorations, which could allow bacteria to seep inside the tooth.
Patients with deeper periodontal pockets can be treated with scaling and root planing, which involves careful cleaning of the surfaces of the roots to remove stubborn tartar. Bacteria are also removed and the root is smoothed. This may be followed by antibiotics or other medicines designed to kill or stop the growth of harmful microorganisms. A tray may even be fitted to your mouth to deliver medicines prescribed by Dr. Kotecha to effectively reach the source of the periodontal infection.
Surgical options
When possible, a light and non-invasive treatment is preferred. However, patients with advanced periodontitis may experience improvement with surgical treatments when non-surgical options and at-home hygiene have failed.
Since lasers do not involve cutting, light-based therapy is considered a minimally-invasive approach to disease treatment. A typical surgery may involve grafting a piece of tissue from your mouth and moving it to the treatment area so the grafted tissue covers the roots. Gum tissue can recede as the result of disease and this approach can prevent further recession, as well as continued bone loss. There is no time like the present to prevent damage, so phone (905) 455-9262 to schedule an examination with Dr. Kotecha.
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