There’s a turning point at which gum disease advances from its early stages, gingivitis, to its advanced stages, periodontitis. Past this point, gum disease is typically irreversible and the damage it does is permanent to a degree. For the more severe cases, the best treatments are often surgical. But for milder cases, there are plenty of non- and minimally-invasive solutions for getting gum disease under control. Essentially, the sooner you have your gum disease treated, the more of the non-invasive solutions you’ll have available. Take a look at some of the non- and minimally-invasive options a periodontist can offer to treat your gum disease.
Laser Gum Therapy
One of the simplest and most straightforward ways to treat gum disease is to eradicate the diseased areas of the gums, leaving the healthy tissue to recovered without the threat of the infection spreading. Instead of a scalpel, which is used for conventional gum surgery, laser therapy leverages highly focused laser light to eradicate decaying gum tissue while leaving the healthy tissue intact.
Deep Cleaning
Formally known as scaling and root planing, a deep cleaning consists of two primary parts:
Scaling – like a basic cleaning, the tartar is scraped from the teeth. Unlike a basic cleaning, your dentist or hygienist will clean the roots of the teeth as well.
Root planing – with the tartar removed from the teeth entirely, the roots of the teeth are smoothed to reduce or limit space between the teeth and the gums. These spaces, known as pockets, can be breeding ground for gum disease.
Pinhole Surgical Technique
Receding gums can make teeth appear as if they’re getting longer. As an alternative to grafting healthy gum tissue from another area of the mouth, the Pinhole® Surgical Technique simply pulls the receding gums back over the areas they previously covered. Using a hole about the size of a pin, the gums are hooked and pulled forward. In addition, this procedure requires no scalpels or stitches.
Talk with a Periodontist in Chicago, IL
Take a moment to schedule a consultation with a local periodontist in Chicago, IL to find out more about your options for gum disease treatment.
