Diagnosis and Treatment of Periodontal Diseases

Poor oral hygiene can cause the accumulation of food particles between your gums and teeth. Bacteria invade the debris forming plaque and tartar. The accumulation of tartar and plaque between your teeth can cause gum disease and tooth decay.

When you develop gum disease, you might notice the following symptoms:

• bleeding gums when you brush or floss your teeth
• loose teeth or change in their positions
• bad breath
• receding gums
• red, swollen and tender gums
• plaque and tartar on the teeth a foul taste in your mouth
• pain or discomfort when chewing
• an inflammatory response that spreads to the whole body

When you notice the above symptoms, you can consider visiting your dentist for periodontal treatments. If gum disease is left untreated, it might advance to stages that are not reversible.

Stages of periodontitis

Periodontal disease starts an inflammation and worsens with time. Below are the stages of periodontitis:

Inflammation

The first stage of periodontitis, which is characterized by bleeding gums when you brush or floss your teeth. During this stage, you might notice signs of discoloration on your teeth and below the gums.

When the gum condition is in this stage, it is easily reversible. Therefore, you can consider visiting a dentist regularly for check-ups. During the dental exams, your dentist might notice early signs of gum disease and recommend treatment before it progresses.

Early periodontal disease

During the early stages of periodontitis, your gums recede and pockets start forming at the gumline. The periodontal pockets harbor harmful bacteria that cause an immune response. In this stage of periodontitis, you might experience bleeding when you brush your teeth and bone loss.

Moderate stage

If your periodontitis is left untreated, you might experience bleeding during your oral hygiene routine. Also, the gums recede further and cause the teeth to loosen. During this stage, the gum infection might cause an inflammatory response that spreads throughout the body.

Advanced stage

During the advanced stage of periodontitis, connective tissues holding your teeth begin to deteriorate. Therefore, your teeth become loose due to bone loss and gum recession and might fall off.

You might experience bad breath, foul taste in your mouth, and pain when you are chewing. Also, the gum condition might be hard to reverse in its advanced stage.

Diagnosing periodontitis

When diagnosing gum disease, your Weymouth dentist might review your symptoms. For further diagnosis, the dentist might recommend dental x-rays. The dental x-rays will help your dentist determine the extent of the disease and develop a treatment plan.

Alternatively, the dentist will use a small ruler to measure the periodontal pockets. If there are tartar and plaque deposits within the dental pockets, your dentist will remove them as part of the dental cleaning.

Gum disease treatment

When you seek periodontal treatment in Weymouth, Ma, the dentist will recommend a treatment option depending on the severity of your condition.

Some of the treatment options for gum disease include:

Oral hygiene

Oral hygiene is the key to preventing most dental problems. By practicing good oral hygiene, you reduce the risk of plaque and tartar accumulation, preventing dental conditions such as gum disease.

Some of the oral hygiene practices include:

• Brush your teeth twice daily using fluoride toothpaste and replace your toothbrush regularly
• Floss your teeth properly at least once daily to eliminate plaque between your teeth and below the gumline
• Avoid chewing or smoking tobacco products

Visit the dentist near you for dental exams and cleanings regularly

Scaling and root planing

During your routine dental exams and cleanings, your dentist might recommend scaling and root planing. Such dental procedures help eliminate plaque and tartar and plaque build-up within the periodontal pockets.

After removing plaque from the gum pockets, the dentist can consider putting medications in them. alternatively, you can swallow antibiotics.

Follow-up treatments

Your dentist will recommend follow-up appointments to check the progress of your treatment plan. If your periodontal pockets are not reduced, your dentist might recommend flap surgery. However, your dentist will recommend surgery as the last option.

Periodontal treatments near you

Are you looking for periodontal treatments near you in weymouth? If so, you can consider visiting our dentist at aesthetic & restorative dentistry by david f grace dmd, for treatments.