Did you know that your oral health has a huge impact on your overall health globally, including in Falls Church, VA? This is why keeping a clean healthy mouth of gums and teeth free of harmful bacteria or plaque build-up is super important.
Excessive growth of these organisms can lead to harmful toxin production and release into your bloodstream, causing periodontal, or gum, disease. When this occurs, associated symptoms such as gum swelling, tooth pain, loosening, and discomfort, gum recession, and bad breath odor can happen and are the key symptoms of gum disease.
Various stages of gum disease include:
- Gingivitis: beginning stage of gum disease, with symptoms usually including bleeding, swollen gums
- Periodontitis: Infection caused by bacteria spreads deeper under the gums, leading to gum recession, bad breath, irreversible bone loss, and pockets in the gum, also known as periodontal pockets
- Advanced periodontitis: Bone loss progresses, resulting in tooth movement and loss if left untreated
If no professional dental treatment intervention occurs, gum disease can lead to many systemic health illnesses including diabetes, heart disease, tooth/bone loss, pregnancy complications, pancreatic cancer, and stroke. Fortunately, there are several options for treating gum disease and prevent progression of associated symptoms; thereby ensuring no infection spreading will occur, and no other organs in the body will be affected, and no systemic illnesses will arise.
If you experience any of the following symptoms, a dentist in Falls Church, VA can help guide you in the right direction back to a healthy oral environment. However, this is why it is so important to select a dental professional that has the experience successfully treating gum disease with modern, advanced technology and the ability to create individualized treatment plans that are effective and just right for you.
An experienced dental professional, such as Dr Garrett Gouldin and the talented team at Northern Virginia Periodontics in [city], [state], can certainly fit the bill. This talented team can create a custom treatment plan to address gum disease. Dr Gouldin offers various advanced technologies specifically for the treatment of gum disease. These include:
LANAP laser gum disease treatment:
Our periodontists are experts in the LANAP laser protocol, the first ever FDA-cleared laser gum disease treatment. LANAP uses advanced laser technology to gently eliminate diseased tissue and bacteria from beneath the gum line. As a minimally invasive gum disease treatment, LANAP is a no-incision, no suture approach to treating periodontitis and advanced periodontitis.
Scaling and root planing (SRP):
SRP is a non-surgical gum disease treatment that removes bacteria, plaque, and tartar attached to root surfaces beneath the gum line. The goal of SRP is to thoroughly cleanse and smooth root surfaces, which encourages gum tissue reattachment and reduces periodontal pocket depths for improved gum health. SRP treatment at our office also includes training on how to care for your oral hygiene after treatment and possibly antibiotic therapy to ensure proper health is achieved and lasts.
Osseous (flap) surgery:
Osseous surgery is a tried-and-true gum disease treatment for arresting advanced periodontitis, and enables our doctors to access deeper areas of infection. To perform this surgical gum disease treatment, we gently retract the gums, clear the roots of tartar, plaque and bacterial deposits, and smooth any rough areas in the supporting bone. Smoothing and reshaping the irregular surfaces of the damaged bone allows the gum tissue to heal in a more uniform way, with reduced pocket depth. Sutures are then placed to encourage healing and recovery.
Periostat:
When gum disease inflammation occurs, your body creates enzymes that break down tissue and bone. Periostat is the first oral systemic medication that reduces the body’s overproduction of these enzymes and prevents them from harming your oral health. Paired with surgical or non-surgical treatment, our team may recommend Periostat to assist in the reduction of pocket depths and to help improve gum and bone attachment levels.
Maintenance treatment:
Periodontal maintenance visits replace regular biannual cleaning appointments and are extremely important to maintaining gum health and managing oral bacteria following gum disease treatment. We schedule periodontal maintenance visits at a frequency based on your severity of disease and risk for future breakdown. These visits might be every 3, 4, or 6 months, and they most often alternate with your family dentist. These supportive periodontal therapy sessions include thorough above and below the gum cleaning, recording of periodontal pocket depths, re-treatment of active infection, x-rays (as needed) and routine exams.
Be Free of Gum Disease Today!
Dr Gouldin and the skilled team at Northern Virginia Periodontics in Falls Church, VA have the expertise, advanced equipment, and excellent customer care proficiencies to provide the best treatment options for you to ensure your oral and overall health are optimal.
Call Dr Gouldin and the amazing team at Northern Virginia Periodontics in Falls Church, VA now to get started!
