The Periodontist’s Role At Our Bedford Practice

Examining and treating gum disease for a healthier mouth.

We have briefly covered the dangers of gum disease in previous blog posts and we hope that this has helped our patients here at The Dental Centre Bedford understand the importance of having healthy gums, as well as teeth. We are also fortunate to have an experienced periodontist, Mr Mario Veltri, as part of our team who can treat patients who are suffering with gum disease such as periodontitis.

Whilst prevention is key to having healthy gums, it is good to know that, if you already suffer from this problem, there is a periodontist local to you, who can help to restore the health of your gums.

Early intervention

Gum disease usually occurs quite gradually and can often be reversed if detected in its early stages. Sometimes, this can simply be achieved by improving the way that you look after your teeth and often involves the addition of flossing to your regimen, perhaps with additional hygienist visits. Even with the best of home care though, deposits of bacteria are likely to build up in certain areas and harden on the teeth and gum line. This can only be removed by using a ‘scale and polish’ treatment such as that performed by the hygienist at our Bedford practice.

Where the problem has become more advanced, it can spread to the roots of the teeth and also the bone. Then, if ignored, teeth will gradually start to loosen and ultimately could fall out. Once it has reached this more advanced stage, intervention by a periodontist is necessary to try to save your teeth.

‘Deep’ clean

A deep clean, or root planing as it is also called, is a similar procedure to the professional clean performed by the hygienist, except that it involves the cleaning of the root of the tooth and any affected bone structure. This requires more invasive treatment, and, depending on the extent of the problem, may be performed in stages, with different parts of the mouth treated at each stage. The treatment will be performed using a local anaesthetic as it would otherwise prove to be very uncomfortable.

To access the roots and bone underneath the gumline, gingival flap surgery may be needed. This involves the peeling back of the gums so that the periodontist can see and clean the roots of your teeth and the surrounding bone tissue. Although this may cause some post procedural soreness, without this treatment, tooth loss is a big risk.

To make sure that your gums are healthy, and to avoid the need for invasive periodontic procedures, regular examinations by the dentist and hygienist at our Bedford dental surgery are essential. To arrange your appointment, please call us today on 01234 819868.