Dental Articles
What are the treatments for periodontal disease?
Your gum tissue should fit closely around the teeth, but when periodontitis destroys supporting bone and tissue, your gum tissue weakens allowing bacteria-filled pockets to form around your teeth. Over time, these pockets become progressively deeper and more infected, leading to further gum tissue and bone loss. Periodontitis is treated by cleaning these pockets of bacteria and to prevent more damage. If you have pockets between your gums and your teeth that are 4 mm or less in depth, you may be a good candidate for scaling and root planing, sometimes in conjunction with antibiotic therapy. If you regularly practice good oral hygiene at home, this may be the only treatment you need. Scaling removes tartar and bacteria from your tooth surfaces and beneath your gums, and may be performed using hand instruments or an ultrasonic scaler. Root planing smoothes the root surfaces, discouraging further accumulation of tartar. In addition to these procedures, your dentist may prescribe antibiotics or other medications to help control bacterial infection. Recent advances in topical antibiotic treatment may reduce the need for systemic medications that, in addition to the potential for side effects, increase the likelihood of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Some dentists, for example, recommend antibiotic mouth rinses. Others may insert threads and gels containing antibiotics into the space between your teeth and gums or into pockets after deep cleaning. Although more research is needed, these products appear to lower bacteria levels and may help prevent future problems. Sometimes, though, you may have more advanced periodontitis when the depth of the pockets between your gums and teeth is more than 4 mm so your gum tissue may not respond to non-surgical treatments.