While many patients worry about having white teeth and a great smile, many do not give much thought to their gums. However, gums are a very important part of your oral health and can affect your appearance very much. Healthy gums mean fresh breath and healthy teeth. Gum disease such as gingivitis can develop into the more severe periodontitis, causing all sorts of problems
Your Santa Monica dentist has many types of gum treatments that can help you enjoy a healthy smile. These treatments include:
1. Scaling and root planing
This procedure is in fact a form of deep cleaning and is a useful way of treating gum disease without surgery. In this process, plaque and tartar deposits are removed and your dentist may also give you medication to help your gum pockets shrink and to help your gums heal.
2. Periodontal Surgery
If the gums are severely infected, the dentist may operate un order to get under the gum and along the roots to clean the tartar and plaque.
3. Bone Surgery or Bone Grafts
If an infection has progressed far, it may destroy part of the bone. In this situation, your dentist will operate in order to rebuild and reshape the bone.
4. Gingival Grafting
If infection has been left untreated, the gum tissue may be so damaged that it cannot be sewn back together during surgery. If this happens, your dentist may be able to remove healthy tissue from another part of your mouth and attach it to your gums. This will help set the teeth and will make the visible parts of your gums far more attractive.
As you can probably tell from these descriptions of treatments, the best gum treatment is prevention. The longer you wait to treat gum disease, the more invasive and complicated the treatment will be, because more damage will have to be repaired. Early stages of gum disease do not always have obvious symptoms, so your best option is to visit your dentist every six months for treatment and cleaning. Regular brushing, flossing, and dentist visits are a must for healthy teeth and gums. Contact West LA Dental today if you want to start taking care of your gums and teeth the proper way. Our dentists have years of experience in treating gums and preventing gum disease. We can help safeguard the health of your mouth.