Periodontics

Periodontist Services

Periodontics refers to the treatment of the structures surrounding and supporting your teeth. Gums, alveolar bone, and the periodontal ligament are all examples of these structures. This specialized branch of dentistry requires periodontists to complete three more years of specialty training in order to properly diagnose, prevent, and treat periodontal diseases. These three years are additional to the original four years of dental school. When it comes to caring for your mouth in the best way possible, it’s necessary to choose a periodontics team you can trust. Nucleo Dental is able to provide all-encompassing care. Our team includes experienced periodontists who make use of the most advanced tools and technology in order to yield the best results possible. We offer periodontal laser surgery available to ensure less discomfort and faster healing. There is nothing standing in your way toward healthier gums.

Understanding The Truth About Gum Disease

Periodontal disease, which is also known as gum disease, occurs when a bacteria builds and grows up between the teeth and gums. If not treated in time, this bacteria can cause the gums to become inflamed. Not only are inflamed gums painful, they can eventually deteriorate. The bacteria can also spread to the supporting bone, which may also deteriorate over time. If you’re facing periodontal disease, Nucleo Dental can help. Periodontics deals with everything from the gums to the supporting bone itself. Gum disease may not be too noticeable at first which is why it’s necessary to have annual comprehensive periodontal evaluations. This way, your periodontist will know exactly how to treat and even prevent periodontal disease.

How To Prevent Gum Disease

The best way to prevent periodontal disease is by following healthy daily habits. By brushing, flossing, and using mouthwash on a daily basis, you can keep your teeth and gums healthy. The biggest culprits in gum disease are food debris and plaque. Even the smallest amounts of these particles can cause bacteria to grow in your gums and surrounding structures. By brushing and flossing, you can remove as many of these particles as possible. Mouthwash can also play a major role in the reduction and removal of plaque. Other factors, such as age, genetics, and smoking, may increase your periodontal disease risk. The best way to make sure your gums are safe and sound is by speaking to your periodontist. Through annual comprehensive periodontal evaluations, your periodontist will check all the structures within your mouth for periodontal disease risk factors.

Bone Replacement

Advanced periodontal disease can cause bone structures in your mouth and jaw to deteriorate over time. The longer a tooth is missing, the more deteriorated the bone structure will become. During this process, the bone that used to support the tooth will quite literally melt away as it gets reabsorbed. In order for a tooth replacement to function as it’s meant to, it requires secure support to the jawbone. This is where bone replacement comes into play. Bone replacement is a surgical procedure in which lost or missing jaw bone is replaced with a substitute material.

Different sources include:

Allograft: laboratory-processed cadaver bone from a tissue bank.
Xenograft: bone grafting material that comes from a bovine bone
Alloplast: synthetic bone substitutes from US bone banks.

A bone replacement can also be obtained from the patient’s own bone. Bone replacement tends to be a minor surgical procedure, only requiring local anesthesia. Once the surgery is complete, it will take up to seven months for bone maturation to take place. At that point, the dental implant process can proceed accordingly.

Gum Replacement

Gum recession causes the surrounding tissue to retreat from the tooth itself. This process eventually causes the tooth to be too exposed. Even the tooth’s root can be completely exposed, depending on the severity of the recession. This exposure can lead to damage to the supporting bone. If not treated in time, gum recession can lead to tooth loss. This is where gum replacement comes into play. Gum replacement can be done either with connective tissue graft usually from the palate or with alloderm (an acellular dermis graft which will avoid a second surgical procedure). This procedure can aid in root coverage or create keratinized tissue around teeth or implants.

Crown Lengthening

In some instances, the gumline may cover too much of a tooth. Crown lengthening is a surgical procedure performed to expose a greater height of tooth structure to properly restore the tooth prosthetically. Once enough of the tooth is visible, your dentist will be able to proceed with the filling or crowning process.

Aesthetic Gum Remodeling

Not all periodontal treatment is strictly to prevent gum disease or bone deterioration. Through aesthetic gum remodeling services, your periodontist will remove excess tissue to reveal more of your teeth. This process can easily eliminate gummy or toothy smiles. State-of-the-art laser technology is used for this procedure.

Seeking Periodontal Treatment

Nucleo Dental provides periodontal treatment services to our patients. This treatment encompasses surgery of the gum tissue and treatment of the surrounding teeth and bone. Since we make use of laser procedures, our treatments are efficient and effective. By using laser treatments, our patients are able to avoid a plethora of surgical procedures. Gingivitis and periodontitis are two common problems that can be helped with a periodontal treatment. If you’re facing periodontal issues, it’s time to take charge of your health. Contact us today to learn more about what we can do for you.