How Visiting a Periodontist Can Improve Your Gum Health

If your gums are in pain, visit a periodontist so that we can help you to feel better right away.  For many adults, gum disease is something that they live with.  The level of gum disease determines how bad the pain is and whether or not there are additional complications.  For example, while in its early stages, gingivitis can make gums swollen, and they may be uncomfortable but not particularly painful.  As the condition spreads, gums start to recede, and pockets can be formed in the gum tissue.  This is particularly dangerous because bacteria can gather in these pockets and attack the exposed tooth and roots.

Regardless, of what stage of gum disease you have – it is important to seek treatment right away so that the disease can be removed, and your gums can start to heal.  If you don’t, your teeth may become severely infected and fall out. This will lead to the need for an additional procedure, so it is better to simply treat gum disease early and avoid this situation. 

A periodontist is a specialist at treating gum disease, and we perform these procedures on a regular basis.  There are several types of treatment options to consider. 

Chao Pinhole Gum Rejuvenation
This treatment is extremely popular because it can be completed over your lunch break with no downtime.  This makes it an easy solution for fixing gums that have receded.  In only one visit patients see amazing results and gums look youthful again.  There are no stiches, so it is ideal for people that have a busy schedule but still need to have a treatment completed. 

Gum Grafts
As a periodontist, we specialize in gum grafts.  Most general dentists don’t perform the procedure; so many of our patients are referred to us for this treatment after their teeth have been thoroughly cleaned.  This procedure is also known as gum plastic surgery because by the end of the procedure, the exposed area of your tooth and roots will be covered.  In order to complete a gum graft, we can take tissue from the roof of your mouth and graft it to your gums which will close the gap. This helps to prevent infections and also reduces any sensitivity that would have been caused by something that touches the exposed roots and tooth.  

When having a procedure like these conducted it is important to visit an experienced periodontist.  This is a special field of dentistry that requires additional years of schooling and training in order to complete gum grafts and other gum treatments with precision.  As with any type of medical procedure, if you visit a dentist that conducts surgery on a regular basis they will be better at it and your risk of complications will be reduced.  On the other hand if you visited a family doctor for heart surgery, the results probably wouldn’t be what you wanted.  The same holds true for dentistry; so we recommend that if your dentist has told you that you need surgery or a type of gum graft, you call us for a consultation to examine your gums and make recommendations as to what needs to be done. 

Football Season is Here and More Athletes are Depending on Dental Implants

Sports season is in its full glory and dental implants are being used by athletes across the world to replace missing teeth.  As the kids head back to school and sports and football games dominate the television, it is important to remember that teeth can easily become the first victim in the game.  The American Dental Association reported that between 13 and 39 percent of tooth loss happens as the result of a sporting injury and that $500 million is spent per year on replacing those teeth. 

We are an expert in replacing missing teeth and do so in a way that appears completely natural.  We know how to position teeth just right and how to create new ones that blend in so well, you can’t tell which one is real and which one is not. This is good news for everyone that will lose a tooth while playing sports this Fall.

When a tooth falls out there are several options for replacing it.  Dentures have been a solution for hundreds of years but are not convenient for active people.  Athletes and adults with busy lives don’t want to worry about their teeth becoming loose or falling out and realistically they don’t have time to think about their teeth at all.  With dentures, that is never a possibility but it is with dental implants.

During the procedure, we implant a metal post under the gums and secure it to the jawbone.  Over the course of several months, the bone and metal will fuse together and create a new root system that is as secure as a natural one.  In fact, since metal cannot become infected, it may be more secure than natural roots.  Once this phase of the process is complete, we secure a new tooth to the metal post, and the results are amazing.  The new tooth will look like a natural one, and no one will be able to tell the difference.

One famous football player that used dental implants to replace missing teeth is “The Fridge.”  As a defensive lineman for the Chicago Bears, this 380 pound player started to feel pain in his teeth.  Overtime the problems became worse, and his four front teeth fell out.  This caused embarrassment in addition to the pain.  In order to address the issue, he had implants, and the missing teeth were restored. This transformed his smile and his appearance.  Whether you are an athlete or not, implants can do the same for you.

Warning to basketball players –

It is commonly thought that football is the most dangerous sports.  This is true in some categories, for example, brain injuries.  It is incorrect when it comes to dental injuries. The University of California reviewed the accident reports from their athletic department over the course of nine years and found that basketball players were the most likely to sustain a dental injury.  In fact, 11 out of every 100 players filed a report for a dental injury.  If your child is playing basketball – purchase a mouth guard.  If you happen to lose a tooth while playing, call us to discuss how implant dentistry can restore your tooth.