
How long does periodontal treatment take?
Most gum surgery procedures take around 2 hours to complete. In some cases, the surgery will require a person to be asleep or partially asleep during the procedure. Other times, the surgery only involves the use of a local anesthetic to numb the gums.Mar 10, 2018
What is a periodontal treatment plan?
Initial (or hygiene) phase of periodontal therapy, i.e. cause-related therapy. Corrective phase of therapy, i.e. additional measures such as periodontal surgery, and/or endodontic therapy, implant surgery, restorative, orthodontic and/or prosthetic treatment.Jul 20, 2014
How long is periodontal scaling and root planing?
How long does scaling and root planing take? Scaling and root planing is generally completed within 1 – 4 visits, depending on the extent of the condition.Feb 21, 2021
How often do you need periodontal scaling and root planing?
Individuals with healthy teeth and gums only need a regular dental checkup and cleaning twice a year; however, depending on the severity of your periodontitis, your dentist may recommend scaling and root planing, also known as a deep cleaning, at least twice a year or more.Aug 10, 2020
What is the primary goal of periodontal therapy?
The goals of periodontal therapy are to preserve the natural dentition, periodontium and peri-implant tissues; to maintain and improve periodontal and peri-implant health, comfort, esthetics, and function.
How long does periodontitis take to develop?
Slight Periodontal Disease During the early gingivitis stages, gum inflammation can occur in as little as five days. Within two to three weeks, the signs of generalized gingivitis become more noticeable. If you still leave this untreated, it would progress to slight periodontal disease.
Do gums grow back after scaling?
Scaling and root planing can manage the inflammation of the gum tissue. While it won't regenerate new gum tissue, it may encourage the remaining gum tissue to reattach to the teeth. If you've lost a great deal of gum tissue, then you may need a surgical treatment called a gum graft.
How long does it take for gums to reattach to teeth?
Within a week the gums will start to heal and reattach to the roots of the teeth. The initial discomfort should be gone. Full recovery and reattachment can take up to 6 or 8 weeks, but patients are usually back to normal eating, drinking, brushing, and flossing within the first week.Jan 31, 2022
Do gums reattach after deep cleaning?
Do gums reattach after deep cleaning? Yes, deep cleaning ensures gum reattachment by removing the obstructions, bacteria, plaque, and tartar from the roots of your teeth. By removing the infection and tartar, the dentist smoothens the roots, allowing your gums to heal around the teeth.Nov 10, 2020
Do I need periodontal maintenance forever?
Instead, you will require special ongoing gum and bone care procedures, known as Periodontal Maintenance Therapy, to keep the disease under control and keep your mouth healthy. In most cases, Periodontal Disease is a lifelong disease that never goes away.
How long does periodontal maintenance last?
Periodontal maintenance is therapeutic in nature and includes “removal of bacterial plaque and calculus from supragingival and subgingival regions, site specific scaling and root planing where indicated, and polishing the teeth.” Periodontal maintenance should always follow definitive periodontal therapy for a period ...Apr 30, 2009
Can teeth be saved with periodontal disease?
Saving Teeth — When severe periodontal disease causes bone loss, teeth can become loose and at risk of being lost. In order to save them, the bone around them can be regenerated through grafting; this increases bone support and helps keep them in place.
What is the goal of periodontitis treatment?
The goal of periodontitis treatment is to thoroughly clean the pockets around teeth and prevent damage to surrounding bone. You have the best chance for successful treatment when you also adopt a daily routine of good oral care, manage health conditions that may impact dental health and stop tobacco use.
What is the procedure for periodontitis?
If you have advanced periodontitis, treatment may require dental surgery, such as: Flap surgery (pocket reduction surgery). Your periodontist makes tiny incisions in your gum so that a section of gum tissue can be lifted back, exposing the roots for more effective scaling and root planing.
How to tell if you have periodontitis?
To determine whether you have periodontitis and how severe it is, your dentist may: Review your medical history to identify any factors that could be contributing to your symptoms, such as smoking or taking certain medications that cause dry mouth. Examine your mouth to look for plaque and tartar buildup and check for easy bleeding.
How to measure pocket depth?
Measure the pocket depth of the groove between your gums and teeth by placing a dental probe beside your tooth beneath your gumline, usually at several sites throughout your mouth. In a healthy mouth, the pocket depth is usually between 1 and 3 millimeters (mm). Pockets deeper than 4 mm may indicate periodontitis.
What is the best treatment for bacterial infection?
Antibiotics. Topical or oral antibiotics can help control bacterial infection.
How to fix gum recession?
This is usually done by removing a small amount of tissue from the roof of your mouth (palate) or using tissue from another donor source and attaching it to the affected site. This can help reduce further gum recession, cover exposed roots and give your teeth a more pleasing appearance. Bone grafting.
What is guided tissue regeneration?
Guided tissue regeneration. This allows the regrowth of bone that was destroyed by bacteria. In one approach, your dentist places a special piece of biocompatible fabric between existing bone and your tooth. The material prevents unwanted tissue from entering the healing area, allowing bone to grow back instead.
What is scaling and root planning?
Scaling and Root Planning In the first phase of your treatment, special instruments will be used to carefully and thoroughly clean (debride) and polish each tooth and its root surfaces. The aim is oclean deep below the gum line and remove all calculus deposits and debris. This is usually completed over several appointments using local anaesthetic to minimise discomfort.
Can plaque be removed from gums?
However, if all the plaque or calculus is removed, there can be no inflammatory response, thus it is possible to maintain the health of your teeth and gums for the long term and keep your teeth for life.
Can periodontal therapy remove calculus?
In some cases, traditional periodontal therapy (utilising only scaling and root planning) is unable to completely remove the calculus deposits. These deposits may be inaccessible due to spaces under the molar teeth, bony spaces that are awkward to access or gum interference.
What is the first step in periodontal treatment?
STEP ONE: Initial Preparation (click for detailed information) The first step of treatment is to eliminate all of the known causes of the periodontal disease. Mouth bacteria found in saliva forms colonies on the teeth and tissues, which is called plaque.
What is the purpose of a periodontal exam?
Clinical Examination. The periodontal examination gives the dentist a complete picture of the periodontal condition of the patient's mouth. This information is needed before an accurate diagnosis can be made. The oral exam is supplemented with information gained from the dental X-rays.
What is periodontal disease?
In the last decade periodontists have also begun to understand that periodontal disease is a result of bacteria interacting with the patient's defense systems. How the patient's body responds to the bacterial (plaque) assault depends on the "host" resistance.
How many places are used to measure tooth pocket depth?
Each tooth is measured (probed) (See What is Periodontal Disease?) at six places, surrounding the tooth, to determine the pocket depth. Normally anesthesia is not needed for this charting, which gives the dentist a blueprint of periodontal changes.
What are the factors that affect periodontal disease?
Diabetes - Increases the risk of disease if not well controlled. Stress - Long-term stress may adversely alter the way we fight periodontal disease.
What is the space between the gum and the tooth called?
This space deepens as bacterial plaque causes bone deterioration, and penetrates down the side of the tooth. This deepened space is called a pocket.
What is vertical bitewing?
Vertical Bitewings - Four to seven detailed views of the teeth that can show both decay and bone levels when severe bone loss has not occurred. Digital x-rays - Any x-ray that is stored digitally, on a computer. Generally available in periapical and bitewings only.
What are the different types of periodontal disease?
There are different forms of periodontal disease, but the following are the most common: 1 Chronic gingivitis. A reversible, milder form of periodontal disease, marked by inflammation, redness, and bleeding gums. There is no bone loss with gingivitis, and as noted, it is easily preventable! 2 Aggressive periodontitis. A rapid loss of gum attachment and bone destruction in a short period. 3 Chronic periodontitis. The most common form of periodontitis. It progresses slowly. 4 Necrotizing periodontal disease. An infection resulting from the death of gum tissue surrounding the tooth and connecting bone. Its common symptoms are a foul odor and painful bleeding gums.
Why do dentists cover roots?
Your dental professional takes gum tissue from your palate or another source and uses it to cover the roots of one or more teeth. Covering exposed roots helps reduce sensitivity and protects your roots from decay while stopping further gum recession and bone loss.
Why do teeth get loose?
Toxins from this buildup of bacterial plaque affect your gum tissue and the bone and ligaments that support your teeth. As the infection causes periodontitis to spread to the bone and supporting tissues, your teeth may become loose and need removal. But even advanced cases of periodontal disease don't have to progress to this point.
What is scaling and root planing?
Your first step in periodontal disease treatment is a conservative, non-surgical approach called scaling and root planing (SRP). A dentist or dental hygienist provides this treatment by scraping and removing the plaque and tartar from your teeth and root surfaces with instruments designed for this purpose.
What does it mean when your gums are red?
A periodontal abscess can sometimes occur from advanced gum disease. This abscess appears as a red, swollen lesion on the gumline. If you suddenly feel a sharp pain in your gums, it's best to see a dentist quickly, as the sooner an abscess gets treatment, the better!
Is laser therapy better than other dental treatments?
There are a few apparent benefits of this novel therapy. They include the laser's ability to target the disease precisely, in a less invasive nature, and shorter recovery time. There is insufficient evidence demonstrating that laser therapy is better than other gum disease therapy forms. It would help if you spoke with your dentist about all available therapy options. It's always best to err on the side of caution with dental decisions.
Is an ounce of prevention worth a pound of cure?
When dealing with periodontal disease, "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.". This article is intended to promote understanding of and knowledge about general oral health topics. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis or treatment.
What are the phases of periodontal treatment?
Periodontal treatment includes the following phases: a. Instructions about oral hygiene and oral hygiene exercise: This is a lesson taught by a trained and qualified member of the staff of our dental clinic. It is based on the individual needs of each patient, and it is individually taught the most effective way to practice dental hygiene.
Why do patients go through this stage after periodontal treatment?
Due to the fact that periodontal disease is caused by bacteria, and since the bacteria inhabit the mouth on a permanent basis, the percentage of periodontal disease relapse increases, if frequent professional care and examination is neglected.

Diagnosis
- To determine whether you have periodontitis and how severe it is, your dentist may: 1. Review your medical historyto identify any factors that could be contributing to your symptoms, such as smoking or taking certain medications that cause dry mouth. 2. Examine your mouthto look for plaque and tartar buildup and check for easy bleeding. 3. Measure the pocket depthof the groov…
Treatment
- Treatment may be performed by a periodontist, a dentist or a dental hygienist. The goal of periodontitis treatment is to thoroughly clean the pockets around teeth and prevent damage to surrounding bone. You have the best chance for successful treatment when you also adopt a daily routine of good oral care, manage health conditions that may impact dental health and stop tob…
Lifestyle and Home Remedies
- Try these measures to reduce or prevent periodontitis: 1. Brush your teeth twice a day or, better yet, after every meal or snack. 2. Use a soft toothbrush and replace it at least every three months. 3. Consider using an electric toothbrush, which may be more effective at removing plaque and tartar. 4. Floss daily. 5. Use a mouth rinse to help reduc...
Preparing For Your Appointment
- You may start by seeing your dentist. Depending on the extent of your periodontitis, your dentist may refer you to a specialist in the treatment of periodontal disease (periodontist). Here's some information to help you get ready for your appointment and what you can do to prepare.