Periodontal Care

Periodontal treatment is necessary to preserve your smile and oral health once you have periodontitis. At Parkside Dental, Alex Broesder, DDS, and the team in Tea, South Dakota, can effectively diagnose and safely treat periodontal disease to ensure you have healthy teeth and gums throughout your life. To explore periodontal treatments, call Parkside Dental or book a consultation online today..

What is periodontal treatment?

If you have periodontal disease, or gum disease, periodontal treatment is essential to preserve your oral health. Periodontal disease is a gum infection that destroys your tooth-supporting structures. It develops when plaque, a type of stick bacteria, clings to your gums. Plaque releases toxins that eat away at your tissues.

Periodontal treatment removes plaque buildup from your gums to minimize or reverse the effects of gum disease. Without healthy gums, your teeth don’t have a strong foundation. This lack of support can result in shifting teeth or teeth loss without the proper care.

Who needs periodontal treatment?

At Parkside Dental, the team may recommend periodontal treatment if you have an early or advanced type of gum disease, such as:

Gingivitis

Gingivitis is an early form of periodontal disease that causes inflamed, red, bleeding gums.
While your gums may be swollen and bleed when you brush your teeth, your tooth-supporting structures are still intact. With early periodontal treatment, you can reverse the effects of gingivitis.

Periodontitis

Without treatment, gingivitis can advance to periodontitis. This progressive infection causes pockets of plaque to connect beneath the gumline. Over time, your gums start to separate from your teeth, which can lead to tooth loss.

How do I know if I need periodontal treatment?

Understanding the warning signs of gum disease encourages you to seek early treatment. Common signs of gum disease include:

• Swollen gums
• Gums that feel tender
• Gums that bleed when you brush your teeth
• Tooth sensitivity
• Shifting teeth
• Dark gums
• Halitosis (bad breath)
• Receding gums

Once the periodontal disease progresses, you may notice visible pus between your teeth and gums.

What are the types of periodontal treatment?

Prophylactic cleaning

If you have gingivitis, a prophylactic cleaning (preventive) and practicing better oral hygiene habits may be enough to reverse its effects. 

Prophylactic cleaning uses special tools to polish the teeth and remove tartar and plaque buildup beneath your gumline. 

Periodontal maintenance

Periodontal maintenance is an important part of managing periodontal disease. Rather than routine preventive care, it’s considered a prescribed treatment. 

If you’ve had periodontal surgery or scaling and root planing, your dentist may prescribe periodontal maintenance to monitor your gums and tooth roots. 

Scaling and root planing

At Parkside Dental, the team can perform scaling and root planing to treat periodontitis. Also called a deep cleaning, scaling and root planing involves cleaning pockets of plaque from beneath your gumline. 

Your dentist uses a scaling tool to carefully reach beneath the gumline, then smooths the roots and attaches the gums to the teeth once again. This treatment removes existing plaque and helps prevent new bacteria from penetrating the gumline.

To schedule your periodontal treatment with a compassionate team, call Parkside Dental or book an appointment online today.