Periodontal Surgery - Emergency Dentist London
Periodontal surgery which is also called Periodontitis Disease or Gum Disease is a bacterial infection that destroys the supporting structures that hold your teeth in place.
This bacteria infection has broken through the first line of defense, your gums, and now attacks the ligaments and bone that hold the teeth in the mouth. This is the stage where the bone loss occurs causing the pocket which is the space between the gum and the tooth to deepen and widen. Left untreated, this disease can lead to bone grafts, gum grafts, and ultimately tooth loss.
Periodontitis is a silent disease. People with the disease rarely experience pain and may not be aware of the problem. Early stages of gum disease are seldom painful with a few warning signs. Some of the early warning signs are slight bleeding when you brush, gums getting a little soft, gums going from a firm pink color to a more reddish color. As the disease progresses you may notice more predominate signs which include:
- swollen gums/inflamed gums
- bright red or purple gums
- gums that start receding making your teeth look longer than normal
- spaces developing between your teeth
- gums that have pulled away from the teeth (pocket)
- persistent bad taste in your mouth
- chronic bad breath (halitosis)
- sores int he mouth
- trench mouth, thrush
- loose teeth
- pus between your teeth and along the gum line (pyorrhea)
- a change in the way your teeth fit together when you bite
- tender gums when touched
If you have any of the above signs, you could be pretty far along the path of serious Periodontitis with potential loss of teeth.
Surgery has been recommended to correct or improve a periodontal problem that is affecting your oral health.
Early gum disease treatment may include tooth scaling and cleaning at three-month intervals along with use of medicated mouthwash and proper flossing. Later-stage gum disease treatment may include deep-plane scaling and periodontal surgery.
Periodontal Disease
The human mouth is a breeding ground for bacteria. There are 22 types of bacteria in the mouth at any given time. Plaque, that sticky film on your teeth that you wake up with every morning, is formed by harmful bacteria in your mouth. If it is not removed by brushing and flossing, it will harden and become tartar. Once tartar forms in your mouth, the periodontal disease known as gingivitis is just around the corner. Bacteria multiply quickly behind tartar and produce toxins that inflame and redden gums. If not treated, the bacteria will spread below the gum line and the periodontal disease known as periodontitis is inevitable. Given enough time and damage, only periodontal surgery will be able to treat the condition and save your teeth.
Once bacteria spread below the gum line, the toxins they produce will begin to literally dissolve supporting tissue and bone. Pockets will form in the spaces created by this degenerative process. Basically, the more tissue and bone that is dissolved, the bigger these pockets become. Bacteria breed faster in these pockets and as they grow, the quicker the pace of degeneration. If periodontal surgery is not performed to reduce these pockets, the teeth will loosen and eventually fall out. Pocket reduction is a form of periodontal surgery that seeks to stop the degenerative cycle.
Pocket reduction is a periodontal surgery procedure where the doctor first holds back the gums and eliminates the bacteria. Generally, painful scraping will be required to remove the ossification (tartar) on the tooth or root. If the root is damaged or not smooth, the doctor will have to plane the root and remove even more root in order to smooth it back out (the gums will not reattach to uneven or rough surfaces). Once finished, the last part of this periodontal procedure generally involves an antimicrobial treatment to eliminate any remaining bacteria. In most cases, no further periodontal surgery is required and good oral hygiene should be enough to prevent the gum disease from returning.
In some cases where the root and supporting bone structure has been too severely damaged for pocket reduction, the periodontal surgery option of regeneration may be required. As the name implies, the purpose of this procedure is to regenerate damaged bone and supporting tissue that is the gums. When performing this form of periodontal surgery, a doctor will perform a bone graft first and then follow it up with treatments of tissue-stimulating proteins. If successful, the gums will be able to reattach to the bone.
Another periodontal surgery option is a soft tissue graft. This procedure is required when the degenerative process has proceeded to the point that the root is exposed due to gum loss. In a soft tissue graft periodontal surgery, tissue is removed from other parts of the mouth such as the palate and then grafted over the exposed root. Of course, before such a periodontal surgery can be performed, the bacteria causing the problem must first be eradicated.
To avoid painful periodontal surgery, it is imperative to practice good oral hygiene. Part of this practice involves using a mouthwash or other bacteria-killing agent on a daily basis. Avoid products that use chemicals as active ingredients as they tend to dry the mouth out and rob it of saliva that is the body’s best natural defense against bacteria in the mouth. Try to find products with all natural ingredients as they will still kill the bacteria without drying out the mouth. Failure to practice good oral hygiene today may very well necessitate costly and painful periodontal surgery tomorrow.
