Streamside Dental has several ways to treat periodontal (gum) disease, which is infection to gums or surrounding soft tissue caused by a build up of bacteria. The best way to prevent such infections is to practice good brushing, flossing, and nutrition everyday, but when the infection is too deep more extensive measures are needed. Infections begin in small crevices where the tooth meets gum, and can appear as only minor swelling or bleeding. As the infection progresses however, it moves deeper below the gum line where it forms large pockets of bacteria in and around the roots of the tooth. If these are left untreated they will decay the bones of the tooth and jaw, which may require extractions. Bleeding gums indicate an infection in the mouth and should be a cause for concern. Gums that bleed allow for bacteria to enter the blood stream and travel to other parts of your body where infection can set in. Streamside Dental, in Vail, CO, will do everything possible to keep this from happening by performing one or more of the following procedures.
- Scaling & Root Planning
- Ultrasonic Teeth Cleaning
- Pocket Reduction
- Adjunctive Antibiotic Therapy
- Laser Periodontal Therapy
Scaling & Root Planning
During any regular appointment to our Vail, CO office, Wende Struthers, RDH will perform periodontal scaling and root planing. This procedure is done to remove excess plaque and bacteria that has formed on the tooth and around the gum line. Using an ultrasonic scaler, periodontal hand scalers, or curettes, our dental hygienists will carefully scrape along the visible surface of the tooth, which removes any plaque and also helps to smooth the tooth surface so it is more resistant to build up in the future. Depending on the exact condition of the teeth, such as if infection has set in below the gums, the patient may require a deep cleaning. This involves performing scaling and planing on the root of the tooth below the gum line. At Streamside Dental our dental hygienist takes extra care to be very gentle while she performs this, and many patients feel no pain as the tools gently slip between the tooth and gum, but a mild anesthetic is sometimes used if it helps to relieve patient stress.
Ultrasonic Teeth Cleaning
At Streamside Dental our office is now equipped with the latest in micro-ultrasonic tooth cleaning technology, and we would like to recognize the efforts of Wende Struthers, RDH, who has advanced her instrumentation skills to incorporate micro-ultrasonics as the backbone of our preventive and therapeutic program. This is also representative of a shift in the field of dentistry, as no longer do dental hygienist’s merely focus on calculus (tartar) removal…it is about the art of disease prevention!
Micro-ultrasonic instruments produce a phenomenon called cavitation to disrupt the activities of disease causing pathogens (bugs, germs). When ultrasonic cavitation bubbles collapse (implode), they release enough energy to destroy pathogens and, literally, blast the plaque from the tooth! This allows the immune system to once again assert itself in self-defense. Gums stop bleeding. Bone stops receding. Infection is arrested. Tissues regain their firm, pink glow of health. Additional benefits of the slimmer micro-ultrasonic tips is a more thorough removal of calculus bacteria in hard to reach areas and improved comfort due to less sensitivity, resulting in less apprehension.
Advancing the level of our training and technology is just one of the ways we watch out for your oral health, so for ultrasonic cleaning in the Vail, Edwards, Avon, Minturn, Eagle, Silverthorne, and Frisco areas, contact Streamside Dental.
Pocket Reduction
One of the major problems that results from serious bacterial infections is the forming of pockets beneath the gum line. Pockets form as infection moves down the base of the tooth between the gums. The bacteria then tend to coalesce in large pockets of infection, which is cause for concern since these reduce the ability of the gums to support the teeth. Furthermore as the infection progresses it will decay the tooth enamel and even the jaw bone itself. Dr. Distelhorst and the entire staff of Streamside Dental stress how crucial it is that patients have regular checkups and cleanings because often times no symptoms are visible to the patient until it is too late to save the tooth. When surgical pocket reduction becomes necessary, Dr. Distelhorst will recommend a periodontists, a specialist in the treatment of gum disease.
Adjunctive Antibiotic Therapy
Periodontal procedures performed at Streamside Dental (such as scaling and root planing or pocket reduction) are used to treat gum disease. To improve their overall effectiveness Dr. Distelhorst may decide to use an adjunctive antibiotic therapy. These antibiotics, taken in combination with the initial procedure, will greatly reduce the risk for infections to return by killing the problem causing bacteria. This will also help complete the healing process more quickly. Finding the right combination of periodontal procedures to treat infection is no easy task, so pick the dentist who can meet your individualized needs by calling Dr. Distelhorst at her Vail, CO office.
Laser Periodontal (Gum) Therapy
Treatment Procedure
- Perio probe indicates excessive pocket depth.
- Laser light removes bacteria and diseased tissue.
- Ultrasonic scaler and special hand instruments are used to remove root surface tarter.
- Laser finishes cleaning pocket and aids in sealing the pocket closed so new germs cannot enter.
- Healing of gums to clean root surface occurs.
- Bite trauma is adjusted.
- Healing occurs.
Laser Periodontal Therapy™ for General & Periodontal Practices
Laser Periodontal Therapy™ is a laser-based approach to gum disease using an Nd:YAG free running pulsed laser requiring specific knowledge and skills drawn from the whole dentistry. To you the patients this means: less pain, less bleeding, less swelling, less tissue removed, less down time, and less recovery time which is decidedly less costly to you and your employer. The reasons we use Laser Periodontal Therapy™ are to: remove only the diseased tissue without removing any of the healthy tissue around teeth, minimize pain and discomfort to the patient, get a closure of the periodontal pocket would and allow healing to take place. Controlling periodontal disease makes it possible to save and restore otherwise hopeless involved teeth.