Non-Surgical Treatment OptionsNon-Surgical Treatment Options provided by Dr. Marcus Blue in Basalt, CO at Blue Periodontics  Poor dental hygiene practices can lead to gum disease or periodontitis. Periodontitis is caused by bacterial buildups in the mouth, which leave a film of plaque covering the teeth. If not cleaned, this plaque can harden to become tartar, which buries itself into the gums and cannot be removed by simple dental hygiene. At this point, you will need medical intervention from a dental health professional to treat the symptoms resulting from periodontitis.Periodontitis can cause several other health complications, and here at Blue Periodontics, we want to help you keep your mouth as healthy as possible. Our team of dental health professionals has experience treating a vast array of dental issues, and periodontitis is one of them. If you believe that you may be experiencing symptoms of periodontitis, continue reading to see if non-surgical treatment options are the right choice for you. Early Treatment OptionsThe best way to treat periodontitis is to prevent it from occurring in the first place. Proper dental hygiene, such as brushing twice daily, flossing daily, and using mouthwash are all great ways to keep your mouth healthy and clean. This will prevent bacteria buildups from forming, so they will not be able to form a film of plaque onto the teeth. Of course, periodontitis may occur without proper preventative measures. In this case, you may enter the first stage of periodontitis, called gingivitis. Many people have heard of gingivitis and it is the only reversible stage of gum disease. Gingivitis occurs when plaque is buried into your gumline, but that plaque has not yet hardened to become tartar. If you have gingivitis, it is best to consult our office on which steps to take next. Your dentist may suggest improving your at-home brushing habits, or they may recommend that you come in for a thorough cleaning performed by one of our specialists. Either way, you will want to practice better dental hygiene to prevent gingivitis from progressing into advanced stages. Moderate Treatment OptionsIf the periodontitis has evolved past gingivitis, then you have tartar build up in your gums and you will not be able to remove it on your own. In this case, you will want to visit one of our periodontists to receive non-surgical treatment options. The most common procedure for treating moderate stages of periodontitis are scaling and planing. In this procedure, one of our dental health professionals will use a tool called a scaler, which is a little metal stick with hooks attached to the ends, to dig into your gums and scrape the tartar out. This should only be attempted by a professional, as trying this at home can cause serious damage to your teeth and gums. After some of the tartar is scraped out with the scaler, the specialist will then use a similar tool to smooth out the root of the tooth. This is called root planing and creates a smooth root surface so that your gums can more easily attach to the tooth and begin the healing process. Early to moderate stages of periodontitis are treatable and should be managed before they progress into something worse. If you are experiencing inflammation of the gums or mild bleeding from brushing, call Blue Periodontics at (970) 678-3473 to set up an appointment and tackle this issue early on. |
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