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Our periodontists are board-certified and have the training and experience required by the American Dental Association to diagnose, treat, and prevent different forms of gum diseases. The doctors are adept at using the latest techniques to diagnose and treat gum disease, perform cosmetic dental procedures, administer periodontal procedures, and place and maintain dental implants. Periodontics can provide you with the care you need to have the best oral health possible.
After completing four years of dental school, periodontists must complete an extra two or more specialty postgraduate training years. This must be through a hospital or university program with accreditation through the American Dental Association to become a periodontist.
Since research suggests a relationship between periodontal disease and other chronic diseases of aging, some periodontal treatments may require a greater understanding and increased level of expertise by a trained specialist. Patients who have moderate to severe levels of periodontal disease, or patients with complex medical cases, may be served best by treatment from our periodontist.
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Common treatments in which periodontists specialize include:
Periodontal disease, also known as gum disease, affects millions of individuals per year. It develops when bacteria in plaque accumulates between the teeth and gums. This causes inflammation that leads to a variety of complications.
Periodontal disease is a serious condition that causes gum recession and tooth loss and can also contribute to heart disease and diabetes. If you suspect you may have periodontal disease, you cannot afford to wait any longer to visit our periodontist.
Periodontal disease has three main stages:
Addressing your periodontal condition immediately is crucial for your overall health. Studies indicate that the inflammatory response caused by periodontal disease can be linked to other chronic conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and Alzheimer’s.
The treatment of periodontal inflammation will help manage the disease and support the management of many other chronic inflammatory conditions.
If you have been diagnosed with gum disease, the first course of action is to undergo scaling and root planing. This is one of the most effective, non-surgical ways to treat gum disease before it becomes severe. Scaling and root planing cleans between the gums and the teeth down to the roots.
Scaling is basically the process of removing dental tartar from the surfaces of the teeth. Root planing is the process of smoothing out the root surfaces and removing any infected tooth structure.
If you have gum disease or gum pocketing, the teeth’ pockets will have deepened, thereby allowing tartar deposits to form under the gum line. Careful cleaning of the root surfaces to remove plaque and calculus (tartar) from deep periodontal pockets and smoothing the tooth root to remove bacterial toxins will ensure that your gum disease is controlled.
Scaling and root planing is a simple procedure that can work very well to stop gum disease. If you maintain good dental care after the procedure, your gum disease’s progression should stop, and your gums will heal and become firm and pink again in no time.
Osseous surgery, also known as pocket-depth reduction, is a surgical procedure intended to restore your gums to a healthier, more natural state. If your periodontist has recommended osseous surgery, it is because you have pockets that are too deep to clean with daily at-home oral hygiene and professional teeth cleaning services.
Your bone and gum tissue should fit snugly around your teeth to create a protective cover from bacteria. If you have periodontal disease, the supporting tissue and bone are destroyed, and this forms pockets around the teeth. Over time, these pockets become deeper and provide a larger space for bacteria to live.
As bacteria develop around the teeth, they can accumulate and advance under the gum tissue. These deep pockets collect even more bacteria and result in further bone and tissue loss. To reduce the need for extractions, osseous surgery may be recommended.
Reducing pocket depth and eliminating existing bacteria are essential to prevent the damage caused by periodontal disease progression and help you maintain a healthy smile. Eliminating bacteria alone may not be sufficient to prevent disease recurrence. Deeper pockets are more difficult for you and your dental care professional to clean, so it’s important to make them as small as possible.
Small pockets and a combination of daily oral hygiene and professional maintenance care will increase your chances of keeping your natural teeth and reduce the odds of serious health problems associated with periodontal disease.
Your gums may have receded for a variety of reasons, including aggressive tooth brushing or periodontal disease. You may not be in control of what caused the recession, but before treatment, your periodontist can help you identify the factors contributing to the problem.
Gum grafting will cover the exposed roots and protect them from decay, help reduce tooth sensitivity, and improve your smile’s aesthetics. Whether you have a gum graft to improve function or esthetics, you’ll probably receive the benefits of a beautiful new smile and improved periodontal health: your keys to smiling, eating, and speaking with comfort and confidence.
Gum recession is caused by advanced gum disease. When gingivitis goes untreated, gum disease (also called periodontitis) will cause gums to pull away from the teeth, leaving deep pockets where bacteria can grow and damage the bone that supports the teeth. Gums can also shrink back from the teeth, which makes them look longer. Teeth may then become loose, fall out, or have to be pulled by a dentist.
Gum recession does not happen overnight. You may not even notice that your gums have receded since it is a very slow, gradual process. However, without a gum tissue graft, recession can have a detrimental effect on your teeth’ health and function. If you have been diagnosed with gingivitis or periodontal disease, it is useful to note whether:
Depending on your specific needs, your periodontist will perform one of three different types of gum tissue grafts.
Many factors will contribute to your chosen grafting technique. Your periodontist can tell you which method will work best for you, your health, and your smile.
If you feel your smile is “gummy” or your teeth are too small, Houston dental crown lengthening may be right for you. This is a procedure to reshape the gum line and improve the aesthetics of the smile by exposing more of the teeth.
Crown lengthening involves removing excess gum tissue around the upper teeth to make them look longer. If the gum line is uneven, crown lengthening can also sculpt it to produce a more symmetrical, balanced smile.
Crown lengthening takes place for dental care and medical reasons as well as for cosmetic purposes. If your periodontist finds decay or fracture under the gum line, for example, crown lengthening can help expose more of the tooth’s crown to support a filling or restoration.
Call 832.990.8754 to schedule an appointment to find out if crown lengthening can give you a smile you’ve always wanted.
A bone graft recreates bone and soft supporting tissues lost due to periodontitis. If you have periodontitis, you may be losing bone support around your teeth. To avoid extractions, your periodontist may recommend re-growing the lost bone with a graft.
The goal of bone grafting is to encourage the body to rebuild the bone and other structures that attach a tooth to the jaw. First, your periodontist will separate the gums from your teeth to gain access to the roots and bone. We thoroughly clean the roots and fill the bone holes with a graft material that usually consists of your own bone.
After we complete that step, your periodontist will put the gums back in place and stitch them together. Over the next few months, the grafted material will begin to grow, which will fill in for lost bone and soft tissue.
A common use of bone grafting is for ridge augmentation. Ridge augmentation can recapture the natural contour of your gums and jaw after the loss of a tooth. This loss can be the result of trauma, congenital anomalies, infection, or periodontal disease. Achieving an ideal amount of gum and bone as a support to surrounding restorations or implants may require hard and soft tissue reconstruction.
After losing one or more teeth, your gums and jawbone may become indented where the tooth or teeth used to be. This occurs because the jawbone recedes when it no longer is holding a tooth in place. Not only is this indentation unnatural looking, but it also causes the replacement tooth to look too long. This can create an area that is difficult to keep clean.
Ridge augmentation uses bone and tissue-grafting procedures to fill in the indented area of the jaw and gums. This will leave you with a smooth gum line that coexists with your restoration or dental implant.
Dental implants provide you with the best opportunity to get the smile you have always dreamed of. By replacing damaged or missing teeth, implants can drastically improve your appearance and health. With cutting-edge technology, our periodontists can give patients new and healthy smiles with dental implants.
Contact Lovett Dental at 832.990.8754, or contact us online to schedule an appointment within the Greater Houston Metropolitan Area, Beaumont and Corpus Christi.
