If you have been diagnosed with periodontitis by either your dentist or dental hygienist, the first steps for treatment will begin with non-surgical periodontal therapy.
Non-surgical periodontal therapy is completed within a combination of appointments. So what happens at the appointments?
It starts with an evaluation. Within this appointment we will take measurements around every surface of each tooth. This is called a pocket charting. We then carry out other examinations such as plaque scores, bleeding scores and access recession within the mouth.
We will go through dental history with you, understanding your home care routine and giving you advice on how to make this better. Its very important to be as honest as you can with your clinician!
The next stage would be the treatment. As all clinicians you may see, can work differently, this can be spread over a number on appointments to make it more comfortable.
We will then reassess you after 6-8 weeks to ensure the treatment has been successful. On this appointment, we decided whether you are placed on a maintenance plan, or a supportive plan. Your clinician will be able to advise you on which one you are placed onto, as everybody is different.
The bacteria and ‘plaque build-up’ under the gum line and down within the pockets around the teeth are removed through a technique called root surface debridement. This is usually carried out under local anaesthetic to ensure you are comfortable throughout the process, as without this it can be tender. The aims of this treatment are to reduce the depth of the pockets and increase the ability to maintain good oral hygiene in the area.
An important part of this treatment is us giving you tailored oral hygiene instructions.
The first and most important element of this phase is optimal home care. An optimal oral hygiene regime is also important for long-term stability. For this reason, a significant amount of time is spent in providing you with tailored oral hygiene instructions and ensuring you are comfortable in performing this regime yourself. Your compliance will be monitored throughout the treatment and on reassessment.
Don’t worry! Here at wisdom dental leigh on sea we will always advise you of the best course of treatment. Sometimes a patient will need a specialist referral, we have the best referral system if we need to go down this route.
Once your gums are back to a healthy position. It is important to keep up dental hygiene appointments to maintain gum and teeth health.
When your oral health is in good shape, we can then look at further cosmetic treatments such as teeth whitening at wisdom dental leigh on sea.
Book in your Periodontal treatment (Treatment for gum disease) with our dental hygienists today at Wisdom dental Leigh on sea.