Periodontal (gum) disease is an infection of the teeth, gums and bone. It is caused by plaque, the stricky film of food and bacteria that forms constantly on your teeth. About 75% of the population have the warning signs of periodontal disease. These include:

1. Gums that bleed when you brush or are red, swollen or tender

2. Gums that have pulled away (receded) from your teeth

3. Pus between teeth and gums when gums are pressed

4. Permanent teeth that are loose or separating

5. Changes in the way your teeth fit when biting

6. Any change in the fit of a partial denture

7. Persistent bad breath.

If plaque isn't removed each day effectively, it hardens to become tartar and  only a professional scaling will remove it. If it's not removed, tartar will invade the root surfaces of your teeth. Here harmful bacteria thrive and cause toxins to form, destroying gum and bone tissue. If we diagnose gum disease early, we can stop the destruction and save your teeth.
 

Soft Tissue Management
 

We have carefully established a protocol to address each patient's periodontal status ranging from essentially healthy with some slight plaque to advanced gum disease. It is this protocol which we call our Soft Tissue Management Program. On the initial examination visit, an exam with x-rays and a careful periodontal evaluation determines which course of treatment is recommended for each patient.

This treatment can be a basic cleaning, or several visits of scaling and root planing, in which under local anesthesia, a more thorough debridement of the plaque and tartar causing periodontal disease is performed. Often, these procedures are performed in sections and multiple visits to ensure the comfort level for each patient.

We have found that patients who were otherwise referred to specialists for advanced surgical therapy can now be succesfully treated through this non-invasive, and less expensive treatment. It is very important to catch these problems before they lead to a hopeless condition of the teeth, necessitating their replacement and thus leading to the need for a much greater expense in treatment. Periodontal disease is often a silent problem that only show symptoms when the problem is quite advanced. Therefore, it is very important to maintain follow-up visits to ensure the continued health of your teeth and gums. 

Red, swollen gum line area