Early Diagnosis and Non-Surgical Treatment of Gum Disease

There are many factors which affect the health of gum tissue. These include home care like brushing, and flossing, diet, systemic problems and the medications taken to control them. Even people who regularly go to the dentist can have an easily reversible inflammation called gingivitis, at the time of their regular cleanings.

When their teeth are cleaned, this condition is generally resolved. People with gum tissue that bleeds on a regular basis, feels very tender or puffy may have moved into a more serious stage of periodontal disease called periodontitis. Using a periodontal probe, which measures pocket depth, and current X-rays, your dentist and hygienist can regularly monitor the health of your gum tissue and health of the supporting soft and hard tissue around your teeth. The perio-probe and X-rays demonstrate the difference in height between the tissue around the neck of your teeth and the bone underneath. When the pocket depth measured exceeds 4mm, the patient can no longer reach the depth of the pocket with dental floss, and the disease will progress without immediate care. Patients with pocket depth between 4 and 6mm usually receive excellent results when a non-surgical gum disease treatment called sealing and root planing or deep cleaning is performed.

Using local anesthetic, the hygienist goes below the tissue using an instrument which scrapes the tooth surface as well as the pocket lining. Once this occurs, the healthy tissue will reattach and shrink to the clean tooth, reducing the pocket depth.

Dietary restriction, special oral rinses, and home care after this procedure must be followed to provide successful results. To ensure continued health, these patients should be seen four times per year for cleanings and exams to ensure patient compliance and tissue health.

If you have areas that do not heal sufficiently or are deeper than 6mm in depth you should be referred to a specialist for care.