Periodontal disease (frequently called ‘gum disease’) is an inflammatory, degenerative condition that imperils the health of your gums, teeth, and smile. Luckily, plenty of periodontal disease treatments exist to help you fight the disease and reclaim your health.
If you’re looking for gentle and effective periodontal disease treatments, then look no further than Austin Laser Dentist. Dr. Helen Ragsdale and her friendly team have comprehensive solutions to help you comfortably and efficiently treat gum disease. Call our dental clinic in Austin, TX, at (512) 346-4690 to get started now!
In this post, our Austin dentist reviews four different periodontal disease treatments. Understanding your options can help you choose the best treatment for you.
Root Planing and Scaling
Root planing and scaling are, perhaps, the most conservative of the periodontal disease treatments available to patients. This procedure is similar to a routine dental cleaning, but it is much more thorough.
Indeed, scaling removes hardened plaque from both above and below the gum line, whereas routine cleanings do not. Removing plaque from above and below the gum line gets disease-causing bacteria off of the teeth and gums, which encourages healing.
Root planing smooths rough tooth roots, which extends healing periods and encourages optimal tissue regeneration. This is because smooth tooth roots do not collect plaque as easily, which means that tissue-destroying bacteria do not have a chance to wreak as much havoc.
Laser Pocket Decontamination
Dental lasers are unique. They are gentle on soft tissues (like our gums), but tough on germs (like the bacteria responsible for gum disease). As a result, dental lasers are an ideal way to decontaminate deep periodontal pockets caused by bacteria.
Our team uses concentrated light energy to penetrate deep into the gum line and eliminate harmful microbes. Not only is this treatment gentle and minimally invasive, but it is remarkably effective at treating (and even curing!) gum disease.
Laser Gum Surgery
Traditionally, dentists performed gum surgery with the help of sharp scalpels and stitches. Today, however, dentists have gentler, more effective options at their disposal – soft-tissue lasers.
Laser gum surgery using soft-tissue lasers allows our team to gently remove damaged tissue to promote healing. Not only that, but the lasers sanitize the gum tissue and eliminate the need for dissolvable stitches. Talk about easy and effective!
Gum Grafts
In some cases, periodontal disease treatments are designed to restore receding gum tissue. Connective-tissue gum grafts are one way that our dentist in Austin can repair eroding gums.
Typically, this procedure borrows tissue from the roof of the mouth. We can then take the donor tissue and attach it to receding gums. Over time, the donor tissue fuses to the gums, effectively fortifying the area.
Periodontal Disease Treatments in Austin, TX
These are the four most beneficial periodontal disease treatments available to patients today. But, you have to act quickly. Otherwise, you may need more invasive treatments (like tooth extractions and bone grafts!).
Set your smile up for success by scheduling periodontal disease treatments with our dentist in Austin, TX. Patients can call our team at (512) 346-4690 or reach us online here to request their appointments now!
