Common Periodontist Treatments

The plaque that builds up and hardens on the tooth surface can only be removed with a professional cleaning. Your dentist or dental hygienist removes the plaque and tartar from above and below the gum line of your teeth and checks for gum disease during routine checkups. When your dental needs go beyond basic checkups and cleanings, periodontists perform the deep cleaning of the gums. The periodontist is also the doctor that treats gum disease. Your periodontist will choose from many treatments available for gum disease. Your treatment is based on the stage of your disease, how you responded to earlier treatments, and your overall health.

Many of the basic procedures performed by a periodontist involve only the use of local anesthetic. Examples of these non-surgical procedures include scaling and root planing. In the process of root planing, a deep-cleaning procedure, the periodontist removes the plaque and tartar from above and below the gum line. The cleaning scrapes away plaque (scales) and makes rough spots smooth (planes) on the tooth root. Scaling and planing provides a clean, smooth surface for the gums to reattach to the teeth. Your dentist will recommend a periodontal cleaning if you have hardened plaque and tartar deep under your gums that needs to be removed.

Your periodontist will recommend surgical procedures to correct the problem when severe gum disease presents itself. Three oral surgeries that require this type of procedure are gingivitis, periodontitis flap and pocket reduction surgeries. During oral surgery, the periodontist lifts back the gums and holds them in place, either by hand or with a tool, and removes the tarter that has built up under the gum line. The surgeon then places the gums so that the tissue fits snugly around the tooth. The periodontist surgically decreases the space between the gum and tooth during this procedure to reduce the number of areas where harmful bacteria can grow.

The periodontist will recommend guided tissue regeneration when gum disease or cavities destroy the bone that supports the tooth. Guided tissue regeneration stimulates bone and gum tissue growth. The oral surgeon inserts a small piece of mesh-like fabric between the bone and gum tissue to keep the gum tissue from intruding into the area where the bone should be. This allows the bone and connective tissue to grow back without interference from the gums.

Periodontal specialists also perform grafts to strengthen tissue and bone. Bone grafts, synthetic bone, or donated bone are used to replace bone destroyed by periodontal disease. Soft tissue grafts allow the periodontist to reinforce thin gums and fill in places where gums receded.