Periodontitis And ‘Deep Cleaning’

A comprehensive treatment for advanced gum disease

We often talk about the importance of good gum health in our blogs, and hopefully this message will have been suitably received by our Ashby, Swadlincote and Burton patients.  The fact is that many of us will have experienced tooth decay and not want to go through the pain of a toothache again, but gum disease, sometimes, doesn’t register in the same way.

There can be some soreness when your gums become infected and in many cases this can be reversed with better home oral care and a professional scale and polish carried out by the dental hygienist at Alexandra Dental Care. These relatively ‘minor’ symptoms (when compared to a toothache) can lead to a false sense of security in some people who may think that it isn’t all that serious and can be easily treated. The real problems arise when treatment is avoided in these early stages (gingivitis) and then the problem becomes much more significant.

Periodontitis

Early stage periodontitis is similar in some ways to gingivitis and the layperson may not be able to tell the difference. In all cases we encourage you to make an appointment with us if, for example, your gums feel sore or have started to bleed when you brush your teeth. As with all dental problems, it is far better to treat any issue sooner, rather than later.

If not treated, the gums will start to pull away a little from the teeth. This may not be noticeable to you but it allows pockets to form between the tooth and gum which allows bacteria to collect there. As this worsens, it is not only the soft gum tissue that becomes infected but also the jaw bone which supports your teeth. Over time, this will deteriorate and be less able to hold your teeth securely. You may initially find that your teeth become loose and may well eventually fall out.

Treating periodontitis

Where the roots of a tooth and the underlying bone structure have become infected, there is only one effective treatment that can help to save the tooth. Unlike a scale and polish, this is an invasive treatment and in most cases, the only one which can help to prevent the tooth from coming out.

This treatment, known as a ‘deep clean’ or ‘root planing’ is not carried out by a dental hygienist but by a suitable qualified dentist. You will require a local anaesthetic for this treatment and, if numerous teeth are affected in this way, it may need to be carried out over several appointments.

Your gums will be numbed with a local anaesthetic and your teeth will then be scaled between the tooth and the gum pockets using special tools. This will help to remove any hardened and built up bacteria. The roots of the tooth and surrounding bone will then need to be cleaned. This may, in some cases, involve the gums being cut into so that this area can be accessed by the dentist so that they can carry out the cleaning.

As you can see, this is a highly invasive treatment in many cases and one which can be effective but is not guaranteed to be successful. It is still advisable to have this done though as saving a natural tooth is a better option than having an artificial replacement.

We hope that this highlights the potential seriousness of gum disease and encourages our Ashby, Swadlincote and Burton patients to take good care of them as well as their teeth. An important part of this care should be appointments with the hygienist at Alexandra Dental Care at least twice a year. You can make an appointment with them by calling us on 01283 216347.

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