Periodontal Disease
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Periodontal Disease
Recognizing periodontal disease can be difficult for a patient without help from a dental professional. If not treated, this disease can cause some serious damage to the tissues surrounding your tooth including your jaw bone. At Centennial Periodontics & Implants one of our main focuses is helping patients treat extreme periodontal disease so they can keep a healthy and beautiful smile.
What is Periodontal Disease?
Periodontal disease is an infection caused buildup of plaque and tartar usually as a result of inadequate oral hygiene. In the early and most mild stage of periodontal disease usually called gingivitis, your gums will begin to be red, swollen, and bleed easily. In this stage, you will feel little to no pain or discomfort.
Because gingivitis is such an early stage of the disease, it can be reversed with professional treatment and good at-home oral health care. Treatment for gingivitis includes:
Removing the tartar and plaque build-up in the area and decreasing the pockets that have formed around the teeth, eliminating the place where the build-up likes to hide. To treat shallow pockets, we use the LANAPⓇ laser to eliminate the infection to promote healing. After using the laser, no sutures are needed.
If gingivitis goes untreated, it will worsen into the more serious stages of periodontal disease. In the more severe stages, there is a high chance of bone and tooth loss. The amount of bone that has been lost will help determine the type of surgical procedure needed.
For treating deep pockets around the tooth, the LANAPⓇ laser will be used to remove build-up. In severe cases, there is a need for bone grafting and bone repair which will require sutures to be placed.
If needed, we also perform connective tissue grafting by removing healthy gum tissue to replace infected tissue to promote healing.
LANAPⓇ Laser
The use of the LANAPⓇ laser has made periodontal surgery at any stage of infection, less invasive and less painful for our patients with a faster recovery period. To learn more about the LANAPⓇ laser, please give us a call at Centennial Periodontics & Implants or see our Laser Dentistry section here on our website. We are located in Centennial, Colorado, and are looking forward to helping you revive your smile.