Periodontal Maintenance
Periodontal maintenance is a crucial aspect of comprehensive dental care provided by our office, aimed at preserving the health and integrity of the supporting structures of your teeth, such as gums and bone. This specialized form of ongoing professional care is typically recommended for our patients who have been diagnosed with periodontal disease, a condition characterized by inflammation and infection of the gums and surrounding tissues. Periodontal maintenance involves a series of routine dental visits, during which the dental team meticulously assesses and addresses the patient’s periodontal health.
Periodontal maintenance is a crucial aspect of comprehensive dental care provided by our office, aimed at preserving the health and integrity of the supporting structures of your teeth, such as gums and bone. This specialized form of ongoing professional care is typically recommended for our patients who have been diagnosed with periodontal disease, a condition characterized by inflammation and infection of the gums and surrounding tissues. Periodontal maintenance involves a series of routine dental visits, during which the dental team meticulously assesses and addresses the patient’s periodontal health.
Periodontal Maintenance
The process often includes thorough cleanings, scaling and root planing, and monitoring of gum pocket depths. These proactive measures help to control the progression of periodontal disease, manage inflammation, and prevent the recurrence of bacterial infection. By adhering to a regular periodontal maintenance schedule, patients can significantly contribute to the long-term success of their oral health, reducing the risk of tooth loss and maintaining an aesthetically pleasing smile. This ongoing commitment to periodontal care underscores the dental office’s dedication to promoting not only oral hygiene but also the overall well-being of their patients.
Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Osseous, or Periodontal Surgery?
Osseous surgery is a procedure that provides access to clean pockets that are too deep to reach with scaling and root planing, known as a “deep cleaning”. The gum tissue is gently reflected so that the roots of the teeth can be seen. Calculus, or bacteria that has hardened to the root surface, is a brown color under the gum tissue. It attaches to the white root surface and can be visualized and thoroughly cleaned with this procedure. Osseous surgery also gives us access to add a bone graft material to regenerate the lost bone around the teeth.
What is Bone Grafting?
The bone graft that we use is a donor or cadaver bone graft. It is real bone that has been sterilized and processed so that all of the cellular components are removed. There is no immune reaction to the bone graft. We draw blood from the patient prior to beginning the procedure to concentrate the healing cells and growth factors using platelet-rich fibrin (PRF). The patient’s own growth factor concentrate is mixed with the sterilized bone graft particles to make a bone putty. This accelerates the healing and makes the bone graft easy to work with and to shape to the defects around the teeth.
What is a Dental Implant?
An implant is a titanium post that replaces the root of the tooth. Implant dentistry involves teamwork between your restorative dentist and your periodontist. First, the implant is placed in the bone by your periodontist. Once the implant has healed, your general dentist creates a tooth that screws into the implant. An implant provides a fixed (non-removeable) option to restore a missing tooth without compromising the adjacent teeth. It is a single-tooth solution to a single-tooth problem.
What is Crown Lengthening?
When decay or a fracture extends below the gum line, crown lengthening is indicated to allow your restorative dentist access to the lesion. Crown lengthening removes gum and bone tissue to expose additional healthy tooth structure. It makes the tooth longer so that there is more tooth structure to work with and to retain the crown. Without crown lengthening, the crown margin may be located too deep under the gum tissue for proper cement isolation and access to remove all decay. Crown lengthening improves retention of the restoration and keeps the crown from falling off over time. Crown lengthening can also be done for esthetic reasons to lengthen anterior teeth and enhance gingival symmetry.