Periodontal Treatments
“The gums have always been an important aspect of dentistry, but today held to be even more vital. Our patients want to keep their teeth, and we want them to. Looking after their gums is critical to this”
Patrick Holmes, Clinical Director
Destructive Gum Disease-‘Periodontitis’
Gum disease is one of the most common diseases to affect humans. It affects, in some manner nearly every adult, and in its advanced for, one in ten adults. Pockets can form around the teeth, and bone is eaten away. As the pockets become deeper, they become more difficult to control, and them become a lot more susceptible to further bone loss.
The goal of the entire course of treatment is to re-establish healthy gum conditions with no pockets remaining deeper than 4 mm.
We tackle this in three stages;
First Stage – Home Care and Deep Cleaning
The treatment for this revolves around the control of any plaque build-up around the teeth.
The first step is to help you with your cleaning at home, so that any areas we clean, stay clean.
We progress to cleaning each area of the mouth meticulously. We divide the mouth into smaller manageable areas. If it is going to be uncomfortable, we will use local anaesthetic to make sure it is not an ordeal for you.
Afterwards, you are most likely to have no problems at all, and your mouth will probably feel rejuvenated. It is possible to have some sensitivity, which would normally be minor, short lived and easily resolved with normal pain-killers.
Second Stage – Review and Refinement
Unfortunately the first stage of treatment will not correct all of gum problems in all patients.
Once we have cleaned all the mouth, and are happy with your home care, we review the situation carefully. At this stage, in simple terms, we are looking for pocketing that has not responded well and is over a certain depth.
In these situations we will either arrange for the this area to be re-cleaned by the hygienist if we think there is still a chance for it to respond, or we move onto the next phase.
Third Stage – Surgical Correction of Pocketing
Any mention of surgery is daunting, but although it is hard to believe, this tends to be dull as opposed to nasty.
In this procedure, Dimitrios makes a small cut in the gum, which is then moved. He is then able to see the roots of the teeth and perform further cleaning, and correct some of the defects in the bone.; The gum is then placed back at a new level, which either reduces or eliminates the pocket.
Aesthetic Gum Treatments
You might, when you smile, display excess amounts of your gums, and this can, by many, be considered un-attractive.
This is where the Inter-Disciplinary approach of Dimitrios’ knowledge of gums, and Patrick’s knowledge of aesthetics can work together.
If we are able to use this method, Dimitrios will, with a surgical procedure, re-position the gums in a more pleasing position. If necessary, there can then be appropriate cosmetic finalization, such as crowns, veneers, or the use of white fillings, to maximize the benefits.
Implant Gum Treatments
Implants can also be susceptible to gum issues, a disease called peri-implantitis. This is something which can be treated by our periodontist, Dimitrios.
