Treating Periodontal Disease

The role of the periodontist at our Bedford dental practice.
Whilst gingivitis, an early stage of gum disease, can be relatively minor and often treated with professional cleans and improved personal oral care; periodontitis, the advanced stage is far more serious and typically requires specialist treatment to help restore the gums back to health.
At The Dental Centre Bedford, we always check a patient’s gums during regular check-ups and we also recommend that patients see our hygienist, Hilary Sinclair, for regular thorough cleaning to help maintain gum health.
Periodontitis
Whilst prevention of gum disease is the best way to avoid problems such as sore or bleeding gums, or even loose teeth, once a certain stage has been reached, a ‘simple’ professional clean and improved oral health care will not suffice. This stage, known as periodontitis, attacks not only the gums, but also the bone that holds your teeth in place. Once this deteriorates, the bone may no longer be sufficiently strong enough to hold the tooth in place and ultimately it may fall out.
To treat periodontitis, the teeth may need to be cleaned not only above and on the gum line but also beneath it. This is a far more advanced procedure than a straightforward ‘scale and polish’ and is performed by the periodontist and not the hygienist. Treatment is always performed using a local anaesthetic as it is necessary to access and clean the tooth below the gum line, deep down to its root.
Performing this deep clean, in conjunction with medication, is often sufficient to enable your gums and bone to recover. Needless to say, it is necessary to continue to monitor the patient’s oral health following the procedure to ensure that progress is maintained.
Peri-implantitis
Peri-implantitis can sometimes occur following the placement of a dental implant. This is an inflammatory infection that can also attack the bone which holds the implant in place. It is very similar to gum disease and is sometimes even referred to as ‘implant gingivitis’. Treatment for this problem follows a similar pattern to periodontitis and may also be performed by our Bedford periodontist and hygienist.
If you are concerned about sore or bleeding gums, or have simply not had them checked for some time, why not pop along to your local dentists in Bedford and allow our experienced clinical team to examine you to ensure early diagnosis and treatment. Simply call The Dental Centre Bedford today on 01234 819868.