What is Periodontitis?
Periodontitis is an advanced gum disease that can cause tooth and bone loss if not treated. It is a common gum disease that about half of the adults over 30 suffer from in the United States. Periodontitis starts as gingivitis and worsens to periodontitis if not treated.
Some of the indications that you may have this gum disease are:
- Bad breath
- Receding gums
- Loosening teeth
- Bloody gums when brushing or flossing
- Plaque and tartar build-up on teeth
If you have any of these symptoms, you should make a dental appointment at Rosas Family Dentistry in Clear Lake, TX. Dr. Nan Rosas will examine your teeth to find out if you have gum disease and provide you with your treatment options at her recommendation.
Treatment Options
If you have periodontitis, that means the gum diseases are starting to affect the ligaments and bone beneath the gums. The first treatment our dentist in Clear Lake, TX will try is a scaling and planing of the teeth’s roots. This treatment removes plaque and tartar build-up from the surface of the teeth and roots.
The roots undergo planing to get rid of any roughness on them to prevent bacteria from forming again. Since scaling and planing can sometimes be uncomfortable, a local anesthetic is given to the patient to numb the mouth. This treatment can sometimes require more than one visit to our facility before the teeth and roots can recover and become healthy again.
If scaling and planing doesn’t work for a case of periodontitis, the next periodontal treatment option is surgery. During surgery, the surgeon scrapes away plaque and tartar deeper beneath the gums and then stitches them, so they are tighter around the teeth.
The surgery can help many people keep their teeth, allowing them to heal, get stronger, and be healthier.