Periodontics is the dental specialty focusing exclusively in the inflammatory disease that destroys the gums and other supporting structures around the teeth. The periodontium is composed largely of the gingival tissue and the supporting bone. Your gums play a vital role in keeping your teeth healthy and beautiful. However, it generally receives less care than your teeth do. In fact, gum disease is one of the leading causes of tooth loss among adults. That’s why it’s essential to see your dentist regularly so they can check your gums and teach you the proper way of caring for it.

Symptoms Indicating Underlying Gum problems

According to experts, pain isn’t present when gum disease is starting to develop. That’s also probably why patients don’t notice they have a problem until it’s already in an advanced stage. So, here are some of the things that may indicate gum issues:

• Reddish or swollen gums
• Tenderness and bleeding
• Persistent bad breath and foul taste
• Pain while chewing
• Sensitivity to hot and cold
• Mobility in tooth
• Gums that seem to be pulling away
• Teeth appearing to be longer due to receding gums
   
• Periodontal therapy procedures

When a patient comes in for a gum problem, the dentist or periodontist initially take a periodontal screening. This is to evaluate the patient’s status about their periodontal health. During this dental exam, the dentist checks the gum pockets if there are bleeding and dental plaque deposits. They will check the appearance of the gums for symptoms such as colour change and consistency, keeping in mind patient’s medical and dental history. After analyzing dental hygiene, treatment plan will be discussed with the patient. Depending on the symptoms, here is the list of periodontal treatment procedures that dentists may need to perform:

Scaling and root planning Procedure

Scaling and root planning is a non-invasive method of thoroughly cleaning deep the teeth, surrounding gums in order to reduce the risk of probable infections. Curettage may also be performed in case of periodontal pockets. Basically, the dentist lifts the gums and reaches inside the gumlines to remove tartar and bacterial toxins. After which, they will apply antibiotics to leave the gums smooth and disinfected.

Most patients only need scaling and root planing to reverse the symptoms of simple gum diseases, like gingivitis. However, if symptoms persist, the patient needs maintenance therapy or other periodontal procedures.

When the gums recede to significant extent, it exposes the tooth root which could lead to numerous tooth and gum problems. To prevent this from happening further or ending up in something worse, like bone loss, the patient may need a gingival graft.

A gum graft surgery is a process of covering the exposed tooth root using a soft tissue. The gum tissue usually comes from the palate of the patient. As a result, the gumlines become even and the patient achieves healthier tooth structure.

Laser treatment

An innovation that came from the conventional scaling and root planing therapy is laser-assisted periodontal treatment. This technology uses a laser-pointed hand tool that dentists use to remove the diseased tissues causing the infection in the gums.It’s precision provides painless treatment and speedy healing for the patient.

Regenerative procedure

One of the causes of severe gum infection is bone damage. At this stage, a simple periodontal process can no longer reverse the problem. However, with the regenerative procedure, it may still save the bone and the affected tooth. The treatment involves using tissue-stimulating proteins in naturally restoring the health of the bone and tissues.

Dental crown lengthening

A gummy smile is a dental condition where the gums overlap the teeth making them appear smaller. To correct this, the dentist does the dental crown lengthening.The procedure entails removing the excess parts of the gum tissues to expose more of the teeth.Usually, patients come in for such a procedure for a cosmetic solution. Sometimes, dentists do this to restore a decayed part of the tooth which is blocked bythe gums.

Pocket reduction

Normally, your gums should be snuggling fit around your teeth to keep it in a sturdy position. However, due to bacteria buildup, gum pockets begin to loosen its fit and eventually expose more of the tooth under the gumline. To prevent this, the dentist performs pocket reduction to clean under the gums and reattach it properly.

If you suspect that you might be experiencing gum issues, consult it to your dentist right away. Don’t delay any dental problem and receive the proper treatment at the right time to save your smile.