Periodontal Therapy in Redmond, WA
Prevent tooth loss with treatment for gum disease at Village Dentistry.
Have you noticed signs of gum disease, neglected regular dental cleanings and exams, or have your brushing and flossing been subpar through the years? Progressive gum disease can lead to tooth loss. Gum disease affects millions of people, and the earlier it’s diagnosed, the less invasive and costly the treatment.
Our periodontal therapy in Redmond, WA, can safely remove bacteria that cause gum disease and treat periodontitis. If left untreated, gum disease can cause serious problems like increased risk of harmful bacteria in the bloodstream, heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.
Gum disease puts you at risk of:
Please don’t wait until it’s too late to treat gum disease.
Our dedicated team at Village Dentistry in Redmond, WA, knows the signs and dangers of progressive periodontitis but can help you fight back with periodontal therapy.
- Step 1
Come in for an assessment, and we’ll create your treatment plan. Each gum disease case is unique, but we typically begin with the least invasive procedure. We’ll discuss controllable factors (lifestyle) and uncontrollable (family history of disease) affecting your gum health.
- Step 2
Scaling and root planing help fight mild to moderate cases of periodontal disease. We clean the tooth’s root surface, remove plaque and bacteria below the gumline, and smooth the area so it’s harder for bacteria to hold. Another non-invasive periodontal therapy includes targeted medication or antibiotics to fight the infection directly. We monitor progress and move on to the next steps if needed.
- Step 3: Maintenance Appointments
To maintain healthy gums and prevent recurrence, you’ll need regular follow-up visits for periodontal maintenance cleanings. These are typically scheduled more often than standard cleanings to ensure your gums stay healthy.
- Step 4: Surgical Options (if Needed)
For more advanced or aggressive gum disease, we collaborate with trusted periodontal specialists who offer surgical solutions. Options may include gum or bone grafts to rebuild lost tissue, gum flap surgery to clean deep pockets, or pocket reduction surgery to restore gum health.
Each case is unique, and we start with the least invasive periodontal therapy, monitor treatment, and move on to the next phase if there’s advanced periodontal disease. The worst cases of periodontal disease cause irreversible damage to the gums, roots, and teeth. In these cases, once the gum heals, a dental implant can replace the lost tooth.
What Are the Surgical Treatment Options?
Safe, personalized solutions to restore your smile and comfort.
If the tissue or bone surrounding your teeth is too damaged to be repaired with non-surgical treatment, several surgical procedures are available to prevent severe damage and restore a healthy smile. We will recommend the procedure that is best suited to the condition of your teeth and gums.
In a healthy mouth, the teeth are firmly surrounded by gum tissue and securely supported by the bones of the jaw. Periodontal disease damages these tissues and bones, leaving open spaces around the teeth that we call pockets.
The larger these pockets are, the easier it is for bacteria to collect inside them, leading to more and more damage over time. Eventually, the supportive structure degrades to the point that the tooth either falls out or needs to be removed.
During pocket reduction procedures (also known as “flap surgery”), we fold back the gum tissue and remove the bacteria hiding underneath, as well as the hardened plaque and tartar that have been collected. We may also remove any tissue that is too damaged to survive. We then sew the healthy tissue back into place.
Now that the tooth and root are free of bacteria, plaque, and tartar, and the pockets have been reduced, the gums can reattach to the teeth.
When the bone and tissue supporting the teeth have been lost due to severe gum disease, we can restore these areas with a regeneration procedure. During this process, we begin by folding back the gum tissue and removing the bacteria, plaque, and tartar.
Depending on your situation, we may then perform a bone graft to stimulate new bone growth, or we may apply a special kind of protein that stimulates tissue growth to repair the areas that the disease has destroyed.
A frequent symptom of gum disease is gum recession (also called gingival recession). As the gums recede, more of the roots are revealed. This can make teeth appear longer and also create sensitivity to hot or cold liquids and foods. It also exposes the tooth to increased damage from gum disease, as bacteria, plaque, and tartar attack the surface of the tooth and the root.
During a soft-tissue graft, tissue from the top of your mouth or another source is sewn to the gum area, covering the roots and restoring the gum line to its original, healthy location. This procedure can also be performed for cosmetic reasons.
Your teeth look and feel better when your gums are healthy.
Get back on track to a happy and healthy life without inflamed gums and increased health risks.
Periodontal therapy removes odor-causing bacteria below the gumline.
Treating periodontitis early with periodontal therapy can prevent tooth loss.
If left untreated, gum disease increases the risk of severe health problems.
Your gum health affects the health of your entire body.
- What does periodontal treatment involve?
Periodontal treatment restores gum and tooth health. Early detection and a well-planned therapy prevent tooth loss. Schedule a consultation with our Redmond dentist for an examination.
Step one is to schedule a consultation with our dentists in Redmond, WA, who can properly examine your gum health.
Bacteria on teeth cause gum disease. We control the infection and offer restorative or cosmetic dentistry if needed.
Treatment varies but starts with the least invasive procedure: scaling and root planing. Medication may be prescribed.
Our team monitors progress and proceeds to more invasive options if necessary. Surgical treatments include gum grafts, bone grafts, gum flap surgery, pocket reduction surgery, and dental crown lengthening. Tooth loss from gum disease is treated, and dental implants restore teeth.
Our dental team at Village Dentistry will monitor your progress and, if needed, move on to the next phase of treatment. These treatments are more invasive, but it’s important to note that all periodontal therapy is safe and pain-free with anesthesia.
After periodontal therapy, preventative care is essential to maintain healthy gums. This includes brushing twice a day, flossing, maintaining biannual dental cleanings and exams, and limiting sugar intake.
Periodontal treatment typically starts with scaling and root planing to clean below the gumline, followed by a personalized care plan to manage your condition. Regular maintenance appointments are crucial to prevent recurrence, and in severe cases, we work with periodontal specialists for surgical options like grafts or pocket reduction surgery. The goal is to restore and maintain healthy gums.
- What are three nonsurgical periodontal treatments? Nonsurgical periodontal treatments are designed to effectively treat gum disease with minimal invasiveness. Here’s how we approach it at Village Dentistry:
- Scaling and Root Planing: This deep-cleaning procedure removes plaque, tartar, and bacteria from below the gumline and smooths the root surfaces to encourage healing.
- Irrigation Therapy: Targeted irrigation flushes bacteria and debris from periodontal pockets, helping to reduce inflammation and promote gum health.
- Laser Therapy: Using advanced laser technology, we treat infected tissues and reduce bacteria without damaging healthy gum tissue.
Targeted medicine application is available.
Together, these therapies are often used as a comprehensive plan to stop gum disease in its tracks. Every patient’s treatment is tailored to their specific needs to ensure the most effective and cost-conscious care.
Schedule a consultation to learn which approach is right for your gums!
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- Is periodontal therapy necessary?
Periodontal therapy is necessary to restore your oral health and prevent tooth loss when periodontal disease is present and affects your gums and bone.
Signs of periodontal disease include swollen or red gums, bleeding gums, visible pockets between gums and teeth, receding gums, bad breath, and loose teeth. Unfortunately, some signs aren’t obvious to patients, which is why it’s so important to visit your dentist regularly, who can properly diagnose and monitor the health of your gums and teeth.
Untreated gum disease puts you at risk of severe health problems and disease and irreversible tooth loss. Don’t let a preventable dental condition lead to severe complications that require extra time, money, and stress.
Step one is a diagnosis for any stage of gum disease and then a treatment plan with periodontal therapy. Patients must then maintain a healthy lifestyle and dental hygiene to keep their gums healthy. All periodontal therapies are safe and effective in helping patients get back on track to healthy gums and teeth and, in turn, their overall health.
- Does periodontal treatment work?
Yes, periodontal treatment works and takes less time and money when periodontitis is caught early. Our dentist creates a custom treatment plan and monitors progress to help your gums and teeth heal from gum disease. After that, maintenance is important to prevent gum disease from coming back.
Periodontal treatment and therapy are most effective if patients follow instructions and maintenance post-treatment. By adequately following your dentist’s instructions, you can prevent gum disease recurrence and enjoy a happy and healthy mouth.
- Can teeth be saved with periodontal disease?
When periodontal disease is diagnosed and treated early, nonsurgical treatments can fix the issue and prevent tooth loss.
For more serious periodontal disease, which causes bone loss and loose teeth, a specialist may have to perform surgery. If a tooth isn’t saveable, dental implant options are available, and they look and feel just like natural teeth! Early stages of periodontal disease can most likely be treated with periodontal therapy to remove plaque and tartar at the gumline and below it to treat gum disease effectively. When bacteria get trapped below the gumline, they can wreak havoc by destroying the gum and bone tissue, in turn leading to damaged and loosened gums that lead to tooth loss.
Regular dentist visits are crucial to your health because dentists can find issues that you may not realize exist, such as gum disease. Gum disease can even be present without pain for years, but some visible signs include swollen gums, red gums, bleeding gums during brushing or flossing, loose teeth, and bad breath.
Schedule a periodontal therapy appointment in Redmond, WA, today.