Periodontal Therapy

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If you have gum pockets of more than 3mm that bleed under even gentle probing, you fit within the criteria for gum disease. This can feel like a worrying diagnosis and, with tooth loss as the outcome, it’s something to think about. Luckily, while periodontal disease isn’t reversible or curable, dental experts can help you control even this severe problem. If you have periodontal disease, you have come to the right place.

For patients in and around Denver, Colorado, our periodontal therapies at Aspen Dental can undoubtedly help offset further damage or escalating problems due to gum disease. But, what exactly is periodontal therapy?

What is Periodontal Therapy?

Periodontal therapy is not a treatment but rather an umbrella term for a range of treatments that aim to restore health to teeth and gums. Therapies like these can be either surgical or non-surgical and involve direct therapies and ongoing care plans.

During an initial appointment, a team member will conduct an extensive examination to understand how much damage you’ve suffered and which solutions are best. If you’ve managed to catch this problem early, the chances are that your treatment plan will revolve around non-surgical solutions such as deep cleaning and dental hygiene. However, if periodontal disease is already severe or causing gum recession, surgical treatments may be necessary, such as –

Gum grafts that replace areas of lost gum tissue with healthy tissue.
Pocket reduction procedures that reduce gaps between gums and teeth.
Periodontal Laser Treatment that removes diseased gum tissue to aid healing.
Dental crown lengthening involves exposing the part of the tooth covered by diseased tissue to improve appearance or facilitate further treatment.
Dental implants replace any missing teeth with life-like implants fused into the jaw bone.
Root planing and scaling by removing hard plaque and tightening your gums to keep your teeth in place.

The Benefits of Periodontal Therapy

Surgical periodontal therapy, in particular, can seem daunting, but the benefits of treatments like these well outweigh the procedures you’ll need to undertake. Most notably, periodontal therapies bring the pressing benefit of preventing escalating risks of bone infection and tooth loss, but further benefits worth considering include –

Improved appearance
Fresher breath
Intensive dental cleaning
An opportunity to get on top of dental hygiene
Restored health for your smile

The escalating complications of this problem are surprisingly easy to overcome when you catch this issue early, preferably before gingivitis (a precursor to gum disease) has a chance to cross the border into periodontal disease. To ensure this fast action, look out for signs that your gums could benefit from the attention of an expert member of our team, including –

Gums that bleed easily
Swollen or tender gums
Bad breath
Bite concerns because of moving teeth

We also highly advise staying on top of your bi-yearly dental appointments. At each appointment, we look for gingivitis and periodontal disease symptoms. If we see any signs of it, we will start to remove it. The sooner we can catch it, the less extensive and expensive your treatment will be.