PERIODONTICS

Gum Disease

Periodontal (gum) diseases, including gingivitis and periodontitis, are serious infections that, left untreated, can lead to tooth loss. The word periodontal literally means "around the tooth." Periodontal disease is a chronic bacterial infection that affects the gums and bone supporting the teeth.

Periodontal disease can affect one tooth or many teeth. It begins when the bacteria in plaque (the sticky, colorless film that constantly forms on your teeth) causes the gums to become inflamed.

In the mildest form of the disease, gingivitis, the gums redden, swell and bleed easily. There is usually little or no discomfort. Gingivitis is often caused by inadequate oral hygiene. Gingivitis is reversible with professional treatment and good oral home care. Untreated gingivitis can advance to

Periodontitis. With time, plaque can spread and grow below the gum line. Toxins produced by the bacteria in plaque irritate the gums. The toxins stimulate a chronic inflammatory response in which the body in essence turns on itself, and the tissues and bone that support the teeth are broken down and destroyed. Gums separate from the teeth, forming pockets (spaces between txhe teeth and gums) that become infected. As the disease progresses, the pockets deepen and more gum tissue and bone are destroyed. Often, this destructive process has very mild symptoms. Eventually, teeth can become loose and may have to be removed.

Scaling and Root Planing
Your bone and gum tissue should fit snugly around your teeth like a turtleneck around your neck. When you have periodontal disease, this supporting tissue and bone is destroyed, forming "pockets" around the teeth. Over time, these pockets become deeper, providing a larger space for bacteria to live. As bacteria develop around the teeth, they can accumulate and advance under the gum tissue. These deep pockets collect even more bacteria, resulting in further bone and tissue loss. Eventually, if too much bone is lost, the teeth will need to be extracted. Your Hygienist has measured the depth of your pocket(s). A Scaling and Root planing procedure has been recommended because you have pockets that are too deep to clean with daily at-home oral hygiene and a professional care routine.

A local anesthetic is administered to the affected area. A well trained and experienced Hygienists of GAMA dental will deep scale and clean below the gum line to remove stubborn, crusty deposits called tartar or calculus, and necrotic tissues around the pocket near the tooth root using a scaling instrument and/or ultrasonic cleaning device are used to remove the deposits. This is done to prevent further damage and restore and stabilize the tooth.

The pocket is then irrigated with an antibacterial. For some deeper pockets, PerioChip is inserted into a periodontal pocket. Periochip is a small, orange brown, rectangular chip (rounded at one end) that contains a substance, which is effective in killing bacteria in the gum (2.5 mg Chlorhexidine gluconate). PerioChip is a Chlorhexidine Gluconate chip that kills the bacteria that caused your gum disease. The chip itself dissolves naturally; hence there is no need for an additional visit to the dentistry to remove it. It is recommended to attend a follow-up visit after three months to check whether any further treatment is required.

For some patients, after cleaning, the root may need to be smoothed, or planed, to restore it as much as possible to its original shape. Planing also allows your gum tissue to better attach itself and heal properly.

ORAL HYGIENE
GAMA Dental Clinic strongly believe in the saying “prevention is better than treatment”. Unlike any other dental clinics where oral hygiene department is small after thought, GAMA’s oral hygiene department is the exceptional perspective of our practice. Our well-trained, experienced, and competent Oral Hygiene staff is committed to give you effective prevention and extensive oral health education. We feel it is one of the most important services to our clients and that they are treated accordingly. Also, remember that an early detection of any dental problem is less painful and cheaper when it’s in an early stage.

Prevention starts with the control of plaque and tartar (calculus), the main causes of decay and gum disease. Please follow these procedures to achieve a proper prevention plan for your oral health:
Professional cleaning, also known as prophylaxis, is done by the hygienist at least once every 3 to 6 months or as requested by your hygienist depending or the health status of your gums and teeth. It forms the foundation for preventing gum disease and tooth decay by removing any plaque or tartar that sticks on your teeth and cannot be removed by regular brushing and flossing.

Remember that healthy gums DO NOT BLEED