Gum Disease Treatment: Solutions for Better Oral Health

Seeing your dentist for gum disease treatment can help improve your oral health. A complete evaluation is necessary to determine the right treatment. Discussing your options can help you make informed decisions about your care plan. Here are the different gum disease treatment options to consider for better oral health.

Non-surgical options

The dentist may recommend non-surgical gum disease treatment options. But these suggestions depend on many factors. The patient’s oral health is a significant consideration. An individual’s ability to follow aftercare instructions is also an important factor. The dentist will offer dental sedation to keep the patient comfortable. Here are some non-surgical gum disease treatment options one should consider:

• Antibiotic therapy involves the direct application of an antibiotic on the problem area. The dentist can place this medication between teeth and gums.
• Dental prophylaxis is regular dental cleaning. The dentist will clean the teeth and remove tartar and plaque. An electric toothbrush and gritty toothpaste can leave the teeth smoother.
• Scaling and root planing are deep dental cleaning methods. This gum disease treatment cleans out the tartar and plaque from underneath the gumline. The dentist also smoothens the dental roots. This treatment prevents bacteria from clinging to them again. The process needs local anesthesia to keep the patient comfortable.
• Laser periodontal therapy uses a laser to kill bacteria underneath the gum tissue. This gum disease treatment does not need sutures or incisions.

Surgical options

People with moderate to severe periodontal issues often need surgery. This type of gum disease treatment is invasive but necessary. The patient and dentist should discuss the type of sedation that the patient must have. Below are some of the surgical options for treating gum disease:

• Flap surgery or pocket reduction surgery will create cuts along the gumline. The dentist will then move the gums away from the teeth to see the roots. Removing the tartar while cleaning the root surfaces will follow. The dentist may even reshape and smoothen the areas of damaged bone. Repositioning the gums and stitching the tissue in place will follow.
• Guided tissue regeneration will place a membrane in the jawbone’s damaged area. Doing so will prevent gum tissue from growing where the jawbone should be present. It gives the body enough time to regenerate bone around the tooth. The dentist may also place a bone graft to help speed up the process.
• Bone grafting will use donated, synthetic, or the patient’s bone to rebuild areas of the jawbone. The graft maintains the space until the body regenerates new bone tissue.
• Gum grafting uses donated, synthetic, or the patient’s gum tissue to treat gum recession. This gum disease treatment involves placing the tissue graft in areas where gum tissue has pulled back from the teeth. The dentist will stitch the gum tissue in place.