Periodontal Care
Palo Alto, CA
Periodontal Care in Palo Alto provided by Dr. Sharma and Dr. Cheong at Palo Alto Oral Health
 The health of your gums is one of the key determinants of oral health. You need to take care of your gums to prevent conditions like periodontitis that could lead to tooth loss.
Our experts at Palo Alto Oral Health encourage you to maintain high standards of oral hygiene to prevent the development of gum disease.
In the case of periodontal disease, periodontal care helps manage the problem and prevent further damage. If you want to know more about periodontal care, our team has answered some of the common questions asked about it.
What Is Periodontal Care?
Periodontal care is an umbrella of efforts to manage and treat gum disease symptoms. If your gum disease is in advanced stages, you must manage the symptoms to prevent tooth loss. Periodontal care is crucial to restoring your oral health and preventing severe consequences like tooth loss.
Periodontal care involves different efforts, including surgical and non-surgical treatments. The type of treatment we use depends on your specific case and how advanced the condition is.
It also involves dental checkups to see if the treatments are working or if more needs to be done. Our experts are experienced in providing periodontal care and will do everything to prevent further damage.
How is Periodontal Disease Diagnosed?
We diagnose periodontal disease during a periodontal examination that shows the effects of the condition on your teeth. We perform periodontal exams during dental checkups as it is part of the process.
We use a periodontal probe to measure the space or pocket behind your gums and teeth to diagnose periodontal disease. Healthy gums have pockets measuring three millimeters or less. Pockets of healthy gums don't bleed.
We use the periodontal probe to check if the pockets are deeper than they should be. The pockets start getting deeper as periodontal disease advances. Therefore, the deeper the pockets, the more advanced the condition is.
We use tooth mobility, inflammation, amount of bleeding, and pocket depth to make a diagnosis.
It is essential to know that there are different stages of gum disease. These stages show how advanced the condition is and what can be done to fix it.
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Gingivitis:This is the first stage of gum disease. At this stage, plaque and its toxic by-products irritate the gums and make them inflamed and tender. In some cases, gums can bleed at the gingivitis stage. It is vital to come in for treatment immediately after you notice signs of gingivitis. When detected on time, gingivitis is treatable and cannot cause any damage. We advise that you get in touch with us as soon as possible.
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Periodontitis: This is the second stage of gum disease. In this phase of the disease, plaque advances into tartar. As tartar and plaque continue to build up, the gums start to recede from your teeth and create more pockets. Consequently, deeper pockets start forming between the teeth and gums and are filled with pus and bacteria. These conditions will make the gums inflamed and irritated, and they can bleed easily. There might also be cases of bone loss due to fast-advancing gum disease. At this stage, little can be done to revert the situation.
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Advanced Periodontitis: This is the last stage of the disease, where gum infection is in its most advanced stages. At this point, your teeth will lose most of the support as the bone, gums, and periodontal ligament continue to get damaged. If no action is taken to manage the gum infection, the surrounding teeth may become very loose and could be lost. While little can be done to treat advanced periodontitis, periodontal care can help manage its effects. |
What Does Periodontal Care Entail?
It takes less than 36 hours for unremoved plaque to turn into tartar. Taking good care of your oral health at home is crucial in preventing periodontal disease. Brushing and flossing teeth helps control the formation of plaque and tartar.
While these oral hygiene methods play a key role in keeping your oral health in good condition, the accumulation of plaque in hard-to-reach areas can be costly. Therefore, you should ensure that you brush and floss your teeth thoroughly to get rid of plaque in hard-to-reach areas.
Once we finish administering periodontal treatment, we recommend that you come in for regular maintenance cleanings. The standard rate is about four times a year.
Professional periodontal care involves examining your gums to check whether the treatment works. If we find that the condition is still advancing, we will recommend a more aggressive type of treatment, like surgery, to fix the condition.
Before making that decision, we will check the pocket depths to see if they are still deep. While we do our part in managing periodontal disease, you should practice good oral hygiene to increase the chances of recovery.
Good oral hygiene will not only protect your gums from more damage but also improves your oral health.
Non-Surgical Treatment for Periodontal Disease
Periodontal care can involve non-surgical treatments that don't need a specialized operation. However, the decision on whether or not you need non-surgical treatment depends on the severity of your periodontal disease.
We can treat mild to moderate cases with root planing and scaling. This simple non-surgical option involves removing plaque from the surface of your tooth root and underneath the gums.
To ensure that your gums are in good condition, we smooth down the surface of your root, denying bacteria a place to plunge. Bacteria like adhering to rough surfaces like the tooth root. This helps prevent future infections and keep your gums healthy.
Alternatively, we can use a tray delivery system. The trays are made to fit in your mouth and help manage the effects of periodontal disease.
If the tray delivery system isn't a good fit for your condition, we will use specialized tools to remove tartar and plaque from your tooth surface and above the gums. Regular dental cleaning is crucial to managing periodontal disease and its effects.
Schedule Your Periodontal Care Appointment Today
If you have periodontal disease, you need periodontal care to help manage the situation. Our experts at Palo Alto Oral Health will help you take good care of your oral health and manage the effects of gum disease. Call us today at (650) 321-9693 to schedule your appointment.
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