Gum Disease Treatments

• Screening for gum disease forms an integral part of your routine examination.

  What is gum disease?

  Gum disease is the progressive destruction of the gum and bone around teeth.

  What are the consequences of gum disease?

  Advanced gum disease causes teeth to become loose and infected, and results in the end with the loss of gum tissue, bone and teeth.

  What are the signs of gum disease?

  Signs of early gum disease include:

  • Bleeding gums
  • Bad breath
  Signs of advance gum disease include teeth that are becoming loose.
  
  

  What causes gum disease?

  Gum disease is caused by the body’s reaction to the bacteria found in plaque. Some people are resistant to gum disease, and other people are susceptible. This susceptibility is genetic, but can you can also be susceptible if you:
  
  

  • Have diabetes
  • Smoke. Smoking increase the susceptibility and severity of gum disease by a factor of 7.

  What causes gum disease?

  Early gum disease can be asymptomatic. Your routine dental examination includes screening for gum disease.

  How is gum disease treated?

  The treatment of gum disease has two main components. Both of these components need to be fulfilled, or the treatment will fail.
  
  The two components are:
  
  

  • Effective and consistent home care twice a day by you. Some people can get away with not brushing or flossing their teeth. If you are susceptible to or have gum disease, you need to be fanatical about cleaning your teeth, and you need to do this in the correct way. If you are not, the best gum disease treatment will have no effect.
    
    
  • Professional gum treatment
    
    Conservative gum treatment involves the removal of tartar and plaque from “pockets” of gum disease. It also involves teaching you the best methods to keep your teeth clean to remove the plaque that causes gum disease.
    
    Periodontal Surgery involves surgery to the gums around the teeth to remove diseased tissue and reduce the depth of pockets. In advanced gum disease, surgery has been until recently the only option.
    
    
    LASER TREATMENT for gum disease eliminates the need for surgery in almost all cases. Laser treatment painlessly and effectively remove only the diseased lining of gum disease “pockets”. This, together with total disinfection of the pockets, lead to rapid healing and reattachment of the gum to the root surfaces of teeth.
    Laser treatment is in fact so effective, it can even lead to the regrowth of bone lost through gum disease.
    
    
    At the Lincoln Smile Centre, we have implemented a revolutionary protocol for the effective treatment of gum disease to avoid the need for surgery.

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