PERIODONTAL DISEASE
Periodontal disease (or known as »parodontosis«) is an inflammation of the gum, which includes appearance of periodontal pockets between the tooth and the gum. It is caused by variou factors like inappropriate oral hygiene, genetics, smoking, stress, diabetes etc. It’s consequences can be much more serious than bad breath and bleeding gums.
If you don’t visit your dentist when the first signs of change appear, the teeth soon become longer, more sensitive and start wobbling. When the bone and periodontal tissues are so affected, they are impossible to restore, that’s why tooth loss takes place and replacement with prosthesis.
It is better to prevent than to treat
Although periodontal disease isn’t a rare occurrence, you can prevent or soften it with preventive procedures and good habits.
- With regular and correct oral hygiene you remove soft plaque thouroughly and prevent the formation of calculus.
- You follow the dentist’s advice about seeing an oral hygienist, who removes hard plaque (calculus) above and under the gum.
- Avoid stress.
- Don’t smoke.
- Eat healthy food.
INFORMATION
Why is it important to treat periodontal disease as soon as possible?
People with advanced periodontal disease are much more exposed to health risks like strokes, heart attacks, premature birth and low birth weight of the newborn and a weak immune system than people with healthy periodontal tissues. Pneumonia and chronical pulmological diseases are also more frequent with older people affected by periodontal disease.
Because periodontal disease can be treated effectively, it is very important to visit your dentist regularly, so he can notice the warning signs in time and prevent unnecessary complications.
What can we do after it is too late for preventive treatment?
When the detist notices the periodontal tissue inflammation, he decides for an appropriate type of treatment considering the depth of the periodontal pockets.
a)In our practice our oral hygienist Anita Globokar Sejdič uses classical treatment methods to remove tooth staining and hard plaque (calculus) above and under the gum. She uses the following machines and instruments:
- a machine to remove tooth staining above the gum (Air-Flow, EMS),
- an ultrasonic calculus removing machine(SONICflex, KaVo),
- hand instruments to clean the root surface(kyrets, Hu-Friedy),
- a machine for deeper cleansing of the root surface (Air-Flow Master, EMS).
b)When periodontal disease is in an advanced stage, it is very hard to reach certain remote root surfaces to completely remove the calculus with classical methods. That’s why the inflammation next to these teeth persists. For the most inaccessible places we need a laser procedure. In this case our oral hygienist refers you to the dentist Melita Franko, dr. dent. med., who for treatment uses:
- hard and soft tissue laser (Er:YAG in Nd:YAG).
Did you know that …
We need a laser for hard and soft tissue for a complete treatment of more complicated clinical cases?
c)When the periodontal disease is in a seriously advanced stage, a surgical procedure is needed that includes anaesthesia, cutting the periodontal tissues with a scalpel, stitching the wounds, a chance of bleeding and infection after the procedure, a long recovery…
d)If the advanced periodontal disease affects only certain teeth, the dentist can decide between a surgical or laser procedure. The laser procedure has many advantages compared to the surgical procedure:
- in most cases anaesthesia isn’t necessary,
- the procedure is less invasive,
- wound stitching isn’t necessary,
- less spontaneous bleeding,
- less infections,
- the wound heals quicker.
I want to know more
You can watch more about periodontal disease and it’s treatment in the following videos: