Periodontics

Periodontal diseases can range from gingivitis, which is simple gum inflammation, to serious diseases that can lead to damage the bones and tissue that support your teeth, ultimately leading to tooth loss. Your dental hygiene at home along with timely treatment for periodontal issues can save your smile.

Periodontic Procedures

Gum Graft Surgery

When periodontal disease leads to gum recession and exposed tooth roots, gum graft surgery can be used to repair and prevent further recession and bone loss. Gum grafts cover exposed roots and even help to develop gum tissue where it is missing due to recession. During gum graft surgery, tissue will be removed from your palate or another source and used to cover exposed root. This can be done for one tooth or several and to even out your gum line. Patients can be benefited from this procedure in both function and aesthetics, leading to an attractive and healthy smile!

Bone Grafting

When missing one or several teeth, your best option for replacement may be dental implants. If your jaw bone is too thin or soft to support an implant, it could lead to failed implant surgery. To prevent this, a bone graft procedure may be recommended. This will involve using a special bone grafting material or bone from another part of your body and surgically grafting it onto your jaw bone. A successful bone graft will create a jaw bone that is strong enough to hold your dental implant.

Dental Crown Lengthening

If you have a “gummy” smile, you may believe that your teeth are too small or short. In fact, your teeth may be the proper length, but are just covered with too much gum tissue. This can be corrected with a dental crown lengthening procedure in which excess gum and bone tissue is reshaped to expose more of your natural tooth. This procedure can be used for one tooth to even out the gum line or on several teeth to give you the smile you’ve always wanted!

Periodontic Regenerative Procedures

If the bone that supports your teeth is damaged or destroyed due to periodontal disease, we may recommend regenerative procedures to reverse some of this damage. During this procedure, our dentist will fold back your gum tissue and remove the disease-causing bacteria. Bone grafts, membranes or tissue-stimulating proteins can also be used in order to encourage your body to regenerate lost bone and tissue. This bone regeneration and the elimination of bacteria will help to reduce pocket depth and repair damage caused by periodontal disease.

Gum Surgery

There are several types of gum surgery that are used to help fight gum disease. If you have gum disease that is serious enough to require surgery, our experienced dentist will discuss the best ways to address your specific case. This could include pocket reduction surgery, regenerative procedures, crown lengthening surgery or scaling and root planing.

Scaling and Root Planing, Root Surface Debridement

Scaling and root planing is a special, non-surgical procedure for the treatment of gum disease. It is a deep cleaning treatment done on one quadrant of the mouth at a time. Local anesthesia may be used to control pain during the cleaning procedure. Scaling involves the removal of plaque, tartar and toxins from above and below the gum line. After this, the rough spots on the surfaces of the roots are smoothed out. This part of the treatment is called root planing or root surface debridement. The procedure helps to control the progression of gum disease and allows the pockets to shrink so the gums can heal and reattach to the teeth.

At Hammond Dental, we understand the importance of keeping your whole mouth healthy. To learn more about how our Periodontic Services can help keep your mouth healthy, contact us today to make an appointment.