Gum disease affects nearly 75 percent of people in the United States and is the primary reason behind missing teeth among Alexandria, VA patients. The infection is caused by destructive oral bacteria that live within plaque and tartar deposits beneath the gums and impacts the gums and underlying bone. Without timely gum disease treatment, the condition progressively destroys bone and supporting structures, leading to tooth mobility and often tooth loss. Beyond these oral effects, gum disease is linked to heart disease, diabetes, and other systemic conditions. Our board certified periodontists are dedicated to improving your oral and general health through specialized gum disease treatment.
Beginning stage of gum disease characterized by bleeding, swollen gums.
Infection spreads deeper under gums, resulting in gum recession, bad breath, irreversible bone loss, and periodontal pockets.
Bone loss progresses, leading to tooth mobility and tooth loss without intervention.
As a leading periodontal practice, we offer proven non-surgical, surgical, and laser gum disease treatment options to the Alexandria, VA community. Drs. Gouldin, Carlos and Gohel use x-rays and periodontal pocket depths to recommend the gum disease treatment best-suited to your unique needs. Gum disease treatment is performed to stop the progression of periodontal infection and bone loss and improve your oral and general health.
Our gum disease treatments include:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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