About Gum Disease
Periodontal Disease is a leading cause of tooth loss in adults, but it’s usually avoidable. Long-term exposure to plaque can cause an infection in the gums which erodes the bone surrounding your teeth. The sooner you treat gum disease, the better. Once the disease is controlled, it is critical to maintain the health of your tissue with regular maintenance, or disease will recur.
Symptoms
* Periodontal Disease can often go unnoticed.
- Chronic bad breath or bad taste
- Swollen, tender gums
- Bleeding during brushing or flossing
- Gums pulling away from the teeth
- Loose permanent teeth
- Change in how your bite fits together
- Change in how your partial dentures fit
Risk Factors
- Poor oral hygiene
- Genetics
- Smoking or chewing tobacco
- Pregnancy
- Diabetes
- Medications
Treatment Options
- Scaling and Root Planing: We clean the root surface and bacterial build-up below the gum line to promote healing. Had this done? Read our Post-Op Instructions.
- Soft Tissue Grafts: An oral surgeon takes gum tissue from elsewhere in the mouth (or donor tissue) and moves it to the problem area.
- Bone Grafts: An oral surgeon uses synthetic bone, or your own, to help the body regenerate bone destroyed by gum disease.
- Flap Surgery: An oral surgeon lifts the gums away from the teeth, tartar is removed, the bone is recontoured, and the gums are sutured back into place.