What You Can Learn from a Periodontist Office

A periodontist is a special kind of dentist who specializes in preventing, diagnosing, and treating periodontal disease and also in the placement of dental implants. As a periodontist office, we are experts in the treatment of all forms of gum inflammation, bleeding gums, and other problems often associated with or found before the advent of, gum disease or periodontal disease.  While many things can lead to periodontal disease,  we find that there are some basic steps that people can take that can help them prevent periodontal disease and a milder form of gum disease known as gingivitis. In order for people to be able to prevent these kinds of occurrences, they need to be on the lookout for certain signs and symptoms that may indicate the need for specialized treatment.

You might not always need to seek out a periodontist because you are experiencing some bleeding in your gums. Bleeding gums tend to be an early warning sign that something may be more seriously wrong with your teeth. About 90% of the population occasionally experiences bleeding gums. Typically this happens when a person is brushing or flossing and can lead to a little bit of inflammation.  If you are experiencing inflammation in your gums more often than not, it is definitely a sign that you need to see your dentist. Bleeding gums, and inflamed gums can definitely be a sign of a disease called gingivitis, which is quite a common occurrence. In between 10% and 15% of cases of gingivitis, people tend to develop a more serious form of the disease called periodontitis.

Being a periodontist office means that we come in contact with people who have had severe repercussions from having periodontal disease. If you have gingivitis, even if it in its early stages, you need to seek out your dentist so that you can find solutions to your gingivitis before evolves into periodontitis. If periodontal disease is left untreated it will continue to get worse and eventually will lead to things like gum recession, bone loss, and eventually the loss of your teeth. In order to avoid this, the best thing to do is let your dentist or dental hygienist know that you are having bleeding of the gums, or inflammation of the gums on a regular basis so that they can examine your teeth to check the spaces between your teeth and your gums. As soon as you let your dentist or dental hygienist know that you are experiencing inflammation of the gums or bleeding of the gums, they will use a small hand-held instrument called a periodontal probe to check the spaces between your teeth and your gums with let them know if you have gum disease, gingivitis, or are on the way to having periodontal disease and need to be referred to a periodontist.

We note that are several factors that can influence the actual health of your gums. While there is always the possibility of the presence of gum disease including the formation of pus in deep pockets under the gums, this is typically caused when the gum tissue has been separated from the teeth. These deep pockets, where the gum has separated from the teeth, can have a harmful bacteria and will need to be treated as soon as possible. What you need to remember is that effective brushing and flossing has the most impact on the health of your gums.

Your Gum Health Is Critically Important and a Periodontist Can Keep Gums Healthy

As a periodontist, we can restore your oral health by treating any signs of gum disease. Many people are unaware of how important gum health is to overall health. Your gums are what hold your teeth securely in place, and without them, your teeth could become loose and even fall out. We can help to prevent this and other complications that can arise by gum disease.

If you have not been to the dentist lately, there are several signs of gum disease you should watch for. Most of these you will notice when brushing your teeth. To start, look and see if your teeth appear longer than they used to. If so, this could be a sign of gum recession or your gums pulling away from your tooth structure. You should also look to see if your gums appear red, swollen, or are bleeding when you brush and floss your teeth. These can all be indicators of gum disease, and if you catch the condition early, you may not need a major treatment. However, the longer you let this condition fester, the more discomfort you will feel on a daily basis and the more intensive of a procedure will be necessary to correct the problem.

There are several ways a periodontist can restore your gums, including:
Deep cleaning. Very often, we can treat gum disease by performing a deep cleaning. Since gum disease is typically caused by plaque building up and becoming trapped under the gums, removing the plaque and tartar will remove the irritant and allow your gums to be restored to perfect health. This is the first step in any treatment plan because if the plaque remains, your gums will become unhealthy again.

Laser therapy. We use lasers to treat gum disease and to restore the health of the gums themselves. We can use them to break up the plaque under the gums and as a way to rejuvenate the gums and prompt growth due to gum recession.

Gum grafting. When the gums have receded to the point that your teeth are exposed and potentially becoming loose, major steps are required to correct it. We can do so using a gum graft. This is where tissue is taken from the roof of your mouth or from a donor and sutured to your gums before being pulled back around the teeth. Performing this procedure will help to keep your gums safe after they have receded. We also have a non-invasive method for doing this that does not require sutures or removing tissue from the roof of your mouth. To discuss our innovative solutions, call and schedule a consultation.

To schedule an appointment with a periodontist, call our office today. We are experts at what we do and will examine you before determining what type of procedure you need to ensure excellent gum health. Since we use a variety of treatment methods, you can count on us when you need treatment and want to recover quickly.

Gum Recession  >  Oral Surgery

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.