If your dentist has diagnosed you with periodontal disease, also known as gum disease, and referred you to Dr. Fred Alger, we welcome you to our practice in Gahanna. Our office has numerous treatment methods to address your unique situation.
Gum Disease and Periodontal Disease, What Is It?
Periodontal disease is when the gum tissues and jaw bone that support the teeth are damaged, typically due to infection. Did you know that there’s not just one type of periodontal disease, but dozens? Many can be treated with non-surgical gum treatments.
The four most common types include the following:
Gingivitis
Gingivitis is often the first stage of gum disease. This type is marked by a bacterial infection that results in swelling, redness and bleeding of the gum tissues.
Chronic Periodontitis
Chronic periodontitis is an infection of the gums that has spread to the jawbones surrounding the teeth. This results in the loss of bone, which impacts the support the jawbone provides to the teeth.
Gingival Recession
If you have gingival recession, you experience the gums receding and exposing the tooth root surface. This type of gum disease can occur in patients of any age.
Aggressive Periodontitis
Aggressive periodontitis is a condition in which moderate to severe bone loss is found. When it is left untreated, this disease may cause tooth loss at an early age.
Periodontitis and Tooth Loss
According to the American Academy of Periodontology, 47 percent of adults in the United States have some type of periodontitis. Unlike gingivitis, periodontitis results in the loss of jawbone that supports the teeth and is typically not reversible.
How Does Gum Disease Start?
Generally, periodontal disease begins because of a lack of proper oral hygiene practices. If you’re not thoroughly and consistently brushing and flossing, as well as visiting the dentist for professional deep cleanings, substances known as plaque and calculus tartar can build up on each tooth’s surface.
The tartar comes from plaque that hardens. Once tartar is present, you need a professional cleaning to remove it, as a toothbrush will not be entirely successful. Bacteria present in these substances affects the gums and can result in gum disease, which progresses if untreated.
Primary cause of periodontal disease is bacteria!
Is Treatment Possible for Periodontal Disease?
Early detection and periodontal treatment significantly improve the chances of saving a patient’s teeth. The sooner we catch gum disease, the easier it is to treat before it progresses and leads to further damage. Nonetheless, our office has treatments for every stage and type of periodontal disease.
Modern diagnostic equipment and advanced procedures can restore a patient’s mouth to optimal health while saving teeth! We have numerous treatment options, including non-surgical options like deep cleaning or scaling and root planing procedures, perioscopy and surgical procedures that may include flap surgery, osseous surgery, or bone regeneration.
Periodontal Treatment Options in Gahanna
Better oral health starts with a consultation to learn about the type of gum disease you have and a discussion about our cutting-edge treatments for it. Dr. Alger and his team are happy to evaluate your case and answer all your questions.
Diagnosing Periodontal Disease
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Video Transcript
The primary cause of periodontal disease is a bacterial infection and the body’s attempt to to fight that infection. So, we need to eliminate plaque bacteria. Now often we will have patients who will come visit us that have very severe gum disease and I hear this almost every day, “Dr. it doesn’t hurt I have no pain.” So they can have 50% bone loss around their teeth and have no pain. They can have so much bone loss their teeth become loose and fall out and they have no pain. So one of the things that we can do is if we see a space, a gap, a pocket around someone’s tooth or teeth that is deeper than it should be, often that harbors harmful bacteria, we can take a sample of that bacteria and we can look at it under the microscope. The the microscope will then put the image on our on our monitor and we actually have a brand new camera that gives us better resolution and better image. So we’re not looking through the lens anymore we can see this digital image and we can determine if there’s particularly harmful types of bacteria present. We can see them and do this all with a matter of couple minutes and it’s it’s not painful to the patient. The patient then can then see the bacteria that’s in their mouth and I can explain to them what a harmful bacteria looks like. We can also see white blood cells. So if there’s an active infection the body is trying to to kill these bacteria and we can actually see these white blood cells within the patient’s own plaque, white blood cells are what we find typically when we refer to pus. I know that’s kind of a gross term but we can actually see the the microscopic image within a matter of minutes.
We are so grateful for modern dental technology!