Your dental practitioner has actually suggested that you see a periodontist, a dental specialist who treats gum disease. Periodontal disease is a bacterial infection that infects the gum tissue triggering inflammation, inflammation, swelling and loss of bone around the teeth. It can affect one tooth or numerous. The National Institute of Health reports that 80 percent of adults in the United States have some type of gum disease.
How did I get Gum Disease?
Gum disease begins with bacteria present in the mouth connecting to the teeth. The bacteria collect and increase, forming a biofilm called dental plaque. If this plaque is left on the teeth, the nearby gingival tissues can become inflamed, leading to the development of gingivitis, an early form of gum disease. Daily flossing and twice-daily brushing with a tooth paste that battles bacteria can assist avoid gingivitis. Plaque and food debris are eliminated by oral hygiene practices and therefore tidy the surface area of the teeth and remove bacterial plaque at the gum line of the teeth. [It needs to be clear from this area that gingivitis is an early type of gum disease that can result in periodontitis, a severe kind gum disease, if left untreated] However, if plaque and food debris are not removed and oral health practices are not kept, then gingivitis will become worse and the gum tissue can become more inflamed, bleeding can occur, the area in between the tooth and gum tissue can become deepened to form a periodontal pocket and periodontal disease can establish.
A gum pocket establishes as the plaque bacteria from the biofilm continues to build up and moves below the gum line. At this moment, home care is not very reliable in removing the dental plaque. If it is left untreated by the dental practitioner or dental hygienist, the biofilm will continue to spread below the gum line and infect the within the pocket. The bacteria in the plaque produce spin-offs that cause the adjacent soft and hard tissue to break down, forming a deeper pocket at the same time. This type of sophisticated periodontal disease can affect the roots of the teeth and they can become infected, too. The teeth may become loose or uneasy and the patient will need gum surgery. The patient would be required to have preliminary therapy to treat unhealthy periodontal pockets through scaling and root planning. The dental hygienist would make use of an ultrasonic scaling device to get rid of plaque, tartar and food debris below the gum line and would hand scale the tooth and root surface area to make it smooth and disease complimentary. Scaling and root planing can be completed in two to four sessions depending on how much oral disease the patient may have. Extensive oral health procedures would be reviewed with the patient to enhance oral care cleaning methods at home.
Types of Gum Surgery
1. Gingival Flap Surgery: If pockets are higher than 5 millimeters in depth, the periodontist would conduct this procedure to lower the gum pockets that were kept in mind in a patients chart. Many patients who have actually been detected with moderate to severe periodontitis would go through this procedure. The periodontist would cut the gum tissue to separate the gum tissue from the teeth, conduct a comprehensive deep cleaning with an ultrasonic scaling device along with hand instruments to get rid of tartar, plaque and biofilm below the pockets.
2. Gingivectomy: This procedure is performed to get rid of excess gum tissue that may be overgrown on the teeth to provide a better area to clean the teeth. The periodontist would numb the patients gum tissue and cut and eliminate the additional gum tissue in the mouth.
3. Gingivoplasty: This type of gum surgery is used to improve healthy gum tissue around the teeth to make them look much better. If an individual has tooth economic crisis where the gum is pressed far from the tooth, a gingivoplasty can be done. A gum graft can be done where the tissue is drawn from the roof of the mouth (this is called a graft) and after that stitched into place on either side of the tooth that is recessed.
After gum surgery, it is important that the periodontist or dental hygienist notify you how to clean the teeth and gum tissue with a toothbrush and an antimicrobial fluoride tooth paste, floss and antibacterial mouth rinse. Please consult your gum specialist or dental professional to learn more of how to look after your gum tissue and teeth after gum surgery.
Gum Surgery Procedure
Tissue Regeneration
- If the bone has actually been damaged, your dentist may utilize a new technique called tissue regeneration, which involves implanting the bone to offer a much better opportunity of bone re-growth. To strengthen thin gums, soft tissue grafts may likewise be used.
- Directed tissue regrowth includes the insertion of a membrane to help in the bone regeneration procedure. This is in some cases useful during gum surgery.
Pocket Elimination Surgery
Sometimes, surgery might belong to the treatment strategy to assist prevent tooth loss resulting from gum disease. Here are some surgical alternatives:
- Gum flap surgery might be carried out to minimize the pocket gap between the teeth and gums.
- If the jaw bone has craters housing bacteria, the bone might be improved through bone surgery to eliminate the craters and assist prevent future recolonization of bacteria development.
Laser Therapy
- Laser therapy may be used to lower pocket size; nevertheless, no definitive evidence exists to support the concept that laser therapy assists to restore damaged connective tissue harmed.
What Does Gum Surgery and Gum Treatment Cost?
Gum disease treatment costs might be just $500, or as much as $10,000, depending upon the severity of the disease.
The cost for a regular dental prophylaxis averages between $30 and $75, while the average cost for gum scaling and root planing is in between $140 and $210. Periodontal upkeep costs after undergoing active therapy typical $115. Active gum therapy – which generally includes a locally administered antimicrobial representative provided into the gum pockets – costs approximately $75 per tooth.
The cost depends upon a number of elements. For instance, extra routine tooth cleansing or scaling and root planing procedures at the gingivitis stage may be required in order to help prevent the onset of disease. This will further affect the cost of your treatment.
Other elements affecting costs include:
- The technology used in the procedure.
- The area of your dental professional.
- The kind of treatment strategy required.
Your dental expert may perform the initial medical diagnosis and some treatment, but may refer you to a periodontist with three extra years of gingival training who might be adept at carrying out more advanced treatment methods.
