Periodontal Disease Treatment in Huntington Beach

What is periodontitis?

Periodontitis is a development of gingivitis, an inflammation of the gums, or gingival, due to bacteria and germ build up. Our mouths are filled with germs and bacteria and combined with mucus form a clear coat of “plaque” on our teeth. When enough plaque builds up, it will become “tartar” that can only be removed by a dentist.

How you can prevent periodontal disease

Daily brushing and flossing can remove plaque before it becomes tartar and will prevent gingivitis. Daily tooth brushing and flossing will also reduce inflammation once gingivitis has occurred. However, once gingivitis has progressed to periodontitis, a Huntington Beach dentist should be contacted immediately. People who are at a higher risk of periodontitis are smokers, people with diabetes, anyone taking medications that reduce saliva, cancer and AIDS sufferers, and women experiencing hormonal problems. Some people are more genetically susceptible to periodontitis as well.

Periodontitis Symptoms

Symptoms of periodontitis include bad breath that won’t go away, pain when chewing, red and swollen gums, tender or bleeding gums, sensitive teeth, and receding gums. If you’re looking for a Huntington Beach dentist to treat periodontitis or are worried that you might have periodontitis, Dental Oasis of Orange County is your answer.

Periodontal services we offer at Dental Oasis Of Orange County are:

How The Dental Oasis Of Orange County can help

At Dental Oasis of OC, we treat periodontitis several ways. Some periodontal treatments include deep tooth cleaning, or “scale and root planing.” Periodontal scaling is when a dentist will remove deep plaque above and below the gum line.Periodontal laser treatment may also be utilized to remove plaque and tartar around teeth. Laser periodontal treatment is preferable to many people because it often results in less pain and swelling than traditional periodontal treatment.

A Huntington Beach dentist might prescribe medications to reduce bacteria in periodontal pockets. Medications to treat periodontal gum disease include oral antibiotics which can temporarily treat acute or persistent periodontal infection. Enzyme suppressants may be recommended by your Huntington Beach dentist if you are experiencing gum tissue deterioration.

If inflammation is severe, periodontal surgery might be necessary. Types of periodontal surgery include flap surgery and bone and tissue grafts. Your Huntington Beach dentist might recommend flap surgery if deep pockets remain after periodontal scaling and medications have been utilized.Flap surgery involves lifting the gums back and removing tartar. The gums are then sutured back into place so that the gums fit tightly around the teeth. The result of flap surgery is that the gums fit more snugly around the tooth, allowing for less bacteria to enter the space between the gums and the tooth.

Bone and tissue grafts are used if a patient has lost quite a bit of gum or bone due to periodontal disease. If your Huntington Beach dentist concludes that you have lost too much bone, they will place a natural or synthetic bone around the area of bone loss to promote new growth. Your dentist may also wish to place a mesh-like material around the grafted area to prevent overgrowth into other bones. In addition to bone grafting, soft tissue grafting might be used to treat periodontal gum disease. To do this, your Huntington Beach dentist will take soft tissue from another part of your mouth and graft it onto the area of loss.

Each case of periodontal disease is unique. We recommend that you come into Dental Oasis of OC, your local Huntington Beach dentist to have your gums and teeth looked at. If you have periodontal disease,we can treat it with laser periodontal treatment, periodontal surgery, periodontal medication, or periodontal scaling.

Read more about our periodontal disease treatments below

Arestin

If a patient has developed gum disease or peri-implantitis, than he or she may want to look into the FDA-approved drug Arestin. Arestin is a medicine that releases antibiotic microspheres to destroy any bacteria that remains after treatment. Arestin is often more effective than taking drugs orally since the microspheres release the medication–minocycline hydrochloride–over time, thus killing any new bacterial developments.

Although Arestin is not a cure-all for gum disease, it has been shown to be extremely helpful after a scaling and root planing treatment (SRP). After a dentist thoroughly cleans plaque off of teeth and bacteria out of gums, Arestin can be used to make sure that gums pockets decrease in size and heal properly. A dentist can apply Arestin easily since it is a powder that is administered painlessly to gum pockets during deep cleanings.

When patients get dental implants, they may be at risk for peri-implantitis. This condition causes lesions and swelling on the gums and bones around the implant. If not taking care of, it can cause implant failure and damage supporting bone structures. However, Arestin can also be prescribed for these patients, since the medication can prevent the spread of bacteria and reduce any swelling.

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Crown Lengthening

Crowns, or “caps,” are artificial restorations that are placed over a person’s natural tooth if it is decaying or damaged. Because crowns incase a person’s natural tooth, there is no need for dentures, and teeth are protected from further damage. However, if a patient has too much bone or gum tissue around their natural tooth, then it may be impossible to properly fit a crown. In this situation, crown lengthening may be required. During the procedure, a dentist will excise any bone or gum tissue so that there is enough enamel to adequately hold a crown.

During the procedure, a dentist will use local anesthetic to numb the area where gums need to be pulled back or bone needs to be removed. Then the area will be irrigated to prevent infection and stitched back up to heal. The dentist can place a temporary crown at the site until the patient is fully healed. A patient can usually get a crown placed after a few months of healing. If a person needs scaling and root planing as well as crown lengthening, these procedures can sometimes be done simultaneously. Lastly, while crown lengthening can be used for the placement of caps, it can also be a cosmetic option if a person is unhappy with his or her “gummy smile.”

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Deep Dental Cleaning

During a regular tooth cleaning, a dentist will use a probe to measure a patient’s gum pockets. If any pockets are too deep or too inflamed, a deep dental cleaning may be recommended. A deep dental cleaning is also known as “non-surgical periodontal therapy” or “scaling and root planing” (SRP).

Even if a patient hasn’t had his or her gums probed, scaling and root planing is highly recommended for patients with receding gums, gingivitis, or early gum disease. Because late-stage gum diseases can cause tooth loss and chronic inflammation that can increase the risk of secondary issues, like heart disease, SRP is a great service that can help patients avoid these negative outcomes.

Like regular teeth cleaning, deep dental cleaning involves the use of ultrasonic tools to loosen and remove tartar from the enamel surface. However, a deep dental cleaning takes it a step further and involves the removal of plaque and other bacteria beneath the gum line. The dentist will use root planing to smooth out and clean the tooth roots and the pockets of the gums. If a person already has sensitive gums, a local anesthetic can be used to make the procedure more comfortable. It may take a few visits to complete a deep cleaning, but ideally, a patient’s gums will have less inflammation and attach themselves more firmly.

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Dental Oasis Of Orange County is located at 7777 Edinger Ave #232, Huntington Beach, CA 92647