In the early stages of gum disease, you can reverse any damage done by the condition and you’ll have a full selection of simple things your dentist can do to help you keep it under control. But as it progresses to its more advanced stages, it starts to do permanent damage. And while your dentist will have plenty of solutions for treating periodontitis, advanced gum disease, the procedures get a little more involved at this point. Take a look at some of the things your dentist can do to help treat early gum disease, periodontitis and advanced periodontitis.

Gingivitis

You may notice mild or moderate inflammation along the gumline or bits of blood in your spittle when flossing. The signs of gingivitis may be alarming to some people, prompting them to do the right thing and act early.

Visiting the dentist’s office before gingivitis turns into periodontitis will help keep one of the most common and most affordable dental procedures on the table: a standard teeth cleaning. Removing tartar built up on the teeth can help stop it from building up below the gumline, where it would create bacterial pockets between the teeth and gums.

Periodontitis

When gum disease progresses to periodontitis, you’ll need some more advanced procedures to keep things under control. One of the most common is a deep cleaning.

A deep cleaning, also known as scaling and root planing, consists of two procedures:

Scaling – this procedure entails scaling tartar that has started to build up on the roots of teeth

Root planing – this procedure entails smoothing over the roots of teeth so that the gums reattach to them uniformly, reducing or eliminating bacterial pockets.

Severe Periodontitis

For the more severe cases of gum disease, a standard cleaning, though helpful, isn’t enough. A deep cleaning isn’t enough along. At this stage, you’d likely require periodontal maintenance – which is a series of deep cleanings that occur every few months.

Another powerful procedure in saving a month from severe periodontitis is osseous surgery, also known as flap surgery. This procedure goes beyond a deep cleaning to completely clean the roots of teeth and surrounding structures. Decaying portions of gum tissue are removed and the gums are stitched back in place.

More on Gum Disease Treatment in Cadillac, MI

Take a minute to reserve an appointment with a local dentist to learn more about your options for gum disease treatment in Cadillac, MI.