Periodontics: The Science of Treating Gum Disease & Art of Restoring Gum Health
With dental patients becoming more knowledgeable, teeth are finally getting the professional care and attention they deserve. But what about your gums? While you may already know that smiles need strong teeth to remain functional and beautiful, did you know that without healthy gums, lasting oral health isn’t possible? Many adults throughout the U.S. may have some form of gum disease without even realizing it!
San Diego periodontist Jeremy Factor, DDS is a gum health specialist who’s passionate about protecting the essential foundational structures of smiles. He combines his clinical knowledge and experience to deliver sophisticated care in the most personable manner possible. With a wide variety of available periodontic services, proactive treatment techniques, and advanced technology, our specialist has the means and the know-how to address any form of gum health issues, no matter how complex.
For comprehensive gum treatment from a gentle, dedicated expert, contact us today to rejuvenate your oral health for life!
CALL US: 619-466-6666 REQUEST APPOINTMENT
What is Periodontics?
Periodontics is a specialty field in dental care that focuses solely on the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of gum disease. This includes periodontal inflammation, infection, and diseases that attack the gums and surrounding soft tissues responsible for holding teeth in place.
The primary goals of a periodontist are to achieve and maintain ideal gum and overall oral health while encouraging the proper functions and stability of your smile.
What Does Periodontic Treatment Involve?
Periodontic care can often include a wide range of treatments all designed to restore gum health, rejuvenate soft tissues, and encourage lasting oral health, all while preventing and treating periodontal disease.
These specialized services include:
Treatment options heavily rely on the type of gum irritation and severity of your periodontal disease. Dr. Factor will evaluate your smile and work with you to create an appropriate treatment plan that is all your own.
How Can Dr. Factor Help Me?
How our periodontist treats your gums heavily depends on the stages of possible gum recession, infection, and disease. Our periodontist treats all forms of gum disease and infections beneath the gum line, performing various procedures to restore soft tissues and bone. It is Dr. Factor’s goal to reestablish whole health to your smile with proven procedures, extensive skill, and advanced tools.
He also educates you on the importance of proper oral hygiene and how your oral health affects your general health. Our specialist, along with our team, clearly explain the warnings signs of gum disease, like bleeding gums and widening gum tissue pockets, so that you can be proactive in your oral care.
We want to help you understand how crucial it is to take care of every aspect of your smile, as this results in total wellness and beautiful smiles that last.
Treating Gum Disease
For our periodontist to treat your gum disease properly, he must first determine the current state of your gums. He’ll conduct a thorough evaluation and detailed yet gentle cleaning, which involves an intricate look for signs of gum disease, checking the depth of gum tissue pockets along and below the gumline.
We use a special tool that softly measures the depth of spaces between tooth roots and gums. If deep, sizable pockets are found, we’ll recommend specialized treatment to stop the symptoms of developing gum disease from progressing further.
Dr. Factor offers both non-surgical procedures and surgical treatments to ensure you receive the most comprehensive care possible.
Scaling & Root Planning
If gum disease is caught in its earliest stage, known as gingivitis, and hasn’t damaged any of the structures below the gum line, professional cleaning may be enough. If the pockets between your teeth and gums are deep, however, scaling and root planing will be needed.
During this periodontal deep cleaning, plaque and tartar (hardened plaque) above and below the gum line are removed, cleaning all the way to the bottom of the pocket. Your tooth roots are then smoothed out to help encourage your gums to reattach to your teeth.
Is Periodontal Disease a Serious Concern?
In its more advanced and most destructive stage, absolutely! Because early gum disease can be hard to detect, most individuals don’t even know they have it.
The earliest warning signs of the condition are red, swollen, and tender gums that bleed when brushing and flossing, which is often overlooked.
The truth is, regardless of whether you’re experiencing any pain or discomfort, periodontal infection is not something to shrug off. The disease can become dangerous if left to progress. Gum disease is not only the leading cause of tooth loss, but the infection can impact your overall health and well-being.
What Causes Gum Disease?
Seven common causes for developing periodontal disease can include:
- Plaque buildup
- Smoking & chewing tobacco
- Hormonal shifts during pregnancy
- Certain medications & cancer treatments
- Nutritional deficiencies
- Overlapping teeth
- Genetics
Crown Lengthening
Our periodontist performs crown lengthening to help provide a more symmetrical smile as well as encourage healthy soft tissue recovery after correcting uneven or excessive gum tissue.
Bone & Gum Grafting
Prolonged tooth loss can result in reduced blood flow to the jawbone and gum tissue, weakening bone structures and leading to recession of soft tissues. Healthy gums and a strong jawbone are essential for successful dental implant treatment.
By providing bone and gum tissue grafting procedures at our office, Dr. Factor can restore lost volume in the jaw and rejuvenate gums, reestablishing the foundation dental implants rely on.
During bone grafting, our periodontist will either take existing bone material from another area of your body or will use a special grafting material that builds new bone.
A gum tissue graft involves removing healthy gum tissue from the roof of the mouth and using it to build gum tissue back up in the areas where it has receded.
Sinus Lifts & Ridge Augmentations
Our specialist often recommends sinus lifts and ridge modification to help increase the chances of successful dental implant placement when the bone in the upper or lower jaw is weak.
A sinus lift is otherwise known as a sinus augmentation and involves adding bone to your upper jaw in the area of your molars. The bone is added between your jaw and sinuses, which are empty pockets on either side of your nose.
Ridge modification can include treating deformities in the upper and lower jaws. In cases of prolonged tooth loss or advanced gum disease, there’s an insufficient amount of bone for the placement of dental implants and a ridge modification may be necessary to provide strength once more.
Rebuilding Smiles After Periodontal Tooth Loss with Dental Implants
If you thought that a full, healthy, and functional smile was a distant, unreachable dream because you’ve suffered from gum disease and tooth loss, think again! Dental implants are world-famous for their ability to provide permanent resolution to missing teeth.
Dental implants consist of titanium posts surgically inserted into the jawbone by our skilled periodontist. Once implanted, they naturally fuse with living gum tissue and bone.
These posts not only serve as artificial tooth roots, restoring essential stimulation to your jawbone, but because of the fusing process, they provide a lasting foundation for your oral health and overall well-being.
When is it Time to See a Periodontist?
If you’re not sure whether a potential oral health issue is serious enough for a periodontist, look out for the following signs:
- You have noticed a change in your bite
- You have red, swollen, or bleeding gums
- Your teeth feel loose
- You have persistent bad breath
- You have a constant bad taste in your mouth
- Your gums are receding
Why See a Periodontist and Not a Dentist?
While general dentists can certainly diagnose and treat a wide range of oral health problems, periodontists specialize in the placement of dental implants and the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of periodontal disease, gum tissue recession, and soft tissue infection. Their advanced training means that they are prepared to treat cases that might be too complex for a general dentist.
Contact Our Specialist for Periodontal Care
Dr. Jeremy Factor and his team are proud to provide patients throughout the La Mesa, El Cajon, surrounding San Diego communities with the high-quality periodontal care they deserve. Call us to schedule an appointment directly or for a referral today!
CALL US: 619-466-6666 REQUEST APPOINTMENT