Gum Treatment Procedure at Cosmecare Dentistry – Dental Clinic in Chembur
Gum disease is also known as periodontal disease is one of the most common diseases affecting the oral cavity. The oral cavity consists of teeth and periodontium which surrounds and supports it as well! We at Cosmecare Dentistry takes good care of your Gum Health, in certain situations we offer our Gum Treatment Procedure which is assisted by Lasers
What is Gum tissue made of?
Periodontium is a Greek word which can be broken into two Perio (around) and Odontos (tooth) literally. It is mainly divided into 4 components:
- Gingiva (Gum tissue)
- Periodontal ligament
- Cementum
- Alveolar bone
What is Gum Disease? (for which we do Gum Treatment)
Gum Disease can be divided as :
Gingivitis
This involves mainly inflammation of the gum tissue. This mainly occurs due to bacteria in plaque resulting in faulty brushing thereby resulting in reddening and bleeding gums. It is commonly known as pyorrhea.
Periodontitis
This involves inflammation of the periodontium. Gingivitis usually if untreated ends up in periodontitis.
There is no irreversible damage in gingivitis. However, chronic gingivitis results in the formation of pockets between the tooth and gums, thereby facilitating more debris to be lodged in it.
This ultimately results in gums and underlying bone to be separated or pulled away from tooth thereby resulting in irreversible
Major Causes of Gum Diseases
- Poor oral hygiene habits like improper brushing and flossing on a daily basis results in gingivitis.
- Hormonal changes associated with puberty, pregnancy, monthly menstruation and menopause all increase the tendency to develop gingivitis.
- Patients suffering from systemic medical conditions like diabetes, HIV and cancer are in the high-risk category to develop periodontitis.
- Certain medications like anti hypertensives, anti-angina and anti convulsant drugs all result in abnormal gum tissue growth as a side effect thereby being more prone to gum diseases.
What Signs and Symptoms you should see before getting Gum Treatment?
- Bleeding gums during tooth brushing
- Red, tender and swollen gums.
- Receding gums
- Formation of deep pockets between the tooth and gums
Treatments
There are a variety of gum treatments done here at Cosmecare Dentistry depending on the patient’s overall health, gum tissue health and response to earlier treatment done.
Non Surgical Gum Treatment
Scaling and root planning (Professional dental cleaning)
This is a nonsurgical procedure done with/without local anesthesia depending on the patient’s comfort, whereby plaque and tartar are removed with the help of ultrasonic scalers. The root surface is also smoothened hence the term root planning.
This helps in reducing the local gum swelling. Depending on the oral hygiene of the patient, the dentist can schedule a scaling session(oral prophylaxis) once in 6 months.
Drugs and Medications
Antibiotics like tetracycline, doxycycline and minocycline can be given to treat the bacteria responsible for gum diseases. These can be used along with surgical or nonsurgical treatment.
Chlorhexidine is very commonly used antimicrobial to treat periodontal diseases. It is marketed as PerioChip, Perioguard, Listerine, Clohex Plus, Rexidin Plus and numerous other rinses.
Surgical Gum Treatment
Flap Surgery
This is the most commonly done surgery to reduce pocket depths which involves raising a flap of the gum and deeper cleaning the bone area. Any irregularities on the surface of the bone are smoothened. This is also known as Pocket Reduction Surgery.
Bone Grafting
This is done for regrowth of the lost bone so as to support the teeth. The procedure involves using your own, synthetic or donated bone which is packed in the area of deficient bone, in order to accelerate the process of bone formation.
Soft Tissue Grafting:
This procedure mainly encourages gum tissue growth where the gum has receded. Grafts are mostly taken from the roof of the mouth and locally stitched in place.
Guided Tissue Regeneration:
This is mainly done in association with flap surgery and bone grafting. It involves the placement of a thin mesh-like fabric which inhibits the formation of gum into the growing bone thereby allowing the bone to heal faster.