Gum disease or periodontal disease is the infection of the gums and bone that supports teeth. Initial stage of gum disease is called gingivitis and if gingivitis is left untreated it progresses to a condition that is known as periodontitis which can have serious implications such as loss of your teeth.
Treatment for the gum disease :
Gingivitis is the initial stage of gum disease and is characterized by swollen bleeding gums.
The best remedy for gingivitis is very careful attention to brushing and flossing. Your dentist might want to do a careful and complete cleaning of the teeth, but the rest is up to you.
Brush at least twice a day. Floss daily. Your dentist may give you special instructions about the proper way to brush and floss.
Regular dental visits will help you to ensure that the disease is curbed/caught as soon as it appears.
Once periodontitis has set in, brushing and flossing should remain top priority. However, specific treatments will be needed.
Mild periodontitis :
The first step by the dentist is scaling and root planing, a deep cleaning technique. Scaling removes plaque and calculus (tartar) from under the gum line. Root planing smoothes any bumps or rough areas on the tooth roots. Plaque tends to build up on rough surfaces.
Antibiotics may be prescribed by the dentist along with scaling and root planing. Antibiotics can be swallowed as a pill or applied in gel, powder or chip form to the affected area of the mouth.
Sometimes these treatments are not successful and the dentist may recommend a periodontal surgery.
Moderate periodontitis :
Moderate periodontitis is a treatable condition. It can be treated by scaling and root planning.
Dentist may prescribe some specific antibiotics. You may have to try a different antibiotic or several courses of antibiotics.
If antibiotic treatment fails, the next step is usually periodontal surgery. These procedures can reshape the gums or encourage new growth of the bone that you have lost.
Your teeth may become loose. So the dentist may have to splint these loose teeth to other strong teeth in the same arch to stabilize them.
Advanced periodontitis :
Advanced periodontitis will require surgical treatment. In this type of surgeries the flap of gum is raised and the disease-causing bacteria are removed. Then the tooth roots are smoothed and then, bone grafts or tissue-stimulating proteins are placed where the bone has been destroyed. This helps to encourage the body's natural ability to regrow the lost bone and tissue. The gums are stitched back in place. This helps the gum tissue to reattach to healthy bone.
Loose teeth may be splinted to stabilize them.
Extremely loose and/or painful teeth may need to be extracted.
People with periodontis should diligently follow their dentist's advice.
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