Periodontics Near You
When a dentist suspects a patient has periodontitis they will:
- Review the patients’ medical history: When determining the cause of a patient’s symptoms they will take into account all contributing factors. For example, dry mouth is a symptom of smoking and certain medications.
- Examine the patient’s mouth: During this examination, they will evaluate the patient’s mouth for plaque and tartar buildup and will look for signs of visible bleeding.
- Measure the patient’s pocket depth: The dentist will use a dental probe to measure the patient’s pocket depth. The pocket depth can range between 1 and 3 millimetres in a healthy mouth. The pocket depth that is beyond 4 millimetres may signify periodontitis.
- Perform dental X-rays: This will determine if there is bone loss in the areas where deeper pocket depths have been identified.
Periodontal Disease Treatment at Our Dental Clinic
The objective of periodontal treatment is to thoroughly clean the pockets that surround the teeth and prevent damage to the surrounding bone. Patients who practice good oral hygiene and discontinue the use of tobacco have the highest chance for successful treatment.
Are you looking for periodontics in West Edmonton? Our dentist is dedicated to ensuring all our patients achieve healthy gums and teeth. We offer various types of periodontic treatment to restore and treat your gums.
Non-surgical Treatments
When a patient’s periodontitis hasn’t advanced yet they will require less invasive procedures, these include:
- Scaling: Using dental instruments such as a laser, or an ultrasonic device, the dentist in West Edmonton will scale the teeth to eliminate tartar and bacteria.
- Root planning: This smooths the root surfaces, preventing tartar and bacteria buildup and also removes bacterial byproducts.
- Antibiotics: To control bacterial infection topical or oral antibiotics may be prescribed to the patient.
Surgical Treatments
When a patient has advanced periodontitis they may require the following dental surgeries:
- Flap surgery: The gums are separated from the teeth and are folded back to expose the roots for further scaling and root planning.
- Soft tissue grafts: This can be done to cover the roots or to develop missing gum tissue due to gingival recession.
- Bone grafting: This procedure replaces missing bone surrounding the tooth root.
- Guided tissue regeneration: This is the regrowth of absent periodontal support caused by bacteria.
- Tissue-stimulating proteins: This is the application of gel on the diseased tooth root.
What to Expect From Your Dentist
The dentist will ask the patient questions regarding their symptoms and lifestyle habits/factors. Some of these questions are listed below:
- When were the symptoms first noticed?
- Are the symptoms continuous or occasional?
- How often do you brush and floss your teeth?
- Do you have any medical conditions?