periodontal disease = gum
disease
'Periodontal Disease is an infection involving
the bone and gum tissues around each tooth. Most common, the disease is bacterial in origin; this is 'serious
business' in that this progressive infection process is a major reason adults lose bone, soft tissues, and teeth. A
variety of systemic diseases have also been linked to this bacterial abscess formation in the mouth.
Many of the
more complex cases I treat restoratively also require my treatment of this insidious and generally painless progressive malady.
Although many cases may be treated in a conservative and relatively non-invasive manner, there are also those that require
reflection and recontouring of the infected gum tissues, remodeling and/or grafting of the tooth-supporting bone, and the
careful removal of bacterial infiltrated calculus (barnacle-like deposits) from the tooth roots by direct visualization under
high-power microscopes. Bad breath and bleeding gum tissues are the early and late signs of this disease most noticable
by the patient.
By treating the gum and bone tissues surrounding the teeth, the foundation of a healthy, long-lasting cosmetic
and functional 'complete dental makeover' may be established.
I will also include under this heading a variety
of periodontal surgery procedures here treated that are not directly related to a disease process per se; rather, anatomic
conditions that compromise the longevity of the healthy dentition can be treated by periodontal intervention treatment modalities
including: gum tissue grafting to treat recessions of the gums around tooth roots; cosmetic tissue surgeries; orthodontic
repositioning of one or more teeth to enhance bone support, improve tooth contacts, and stabilize bite relationships; occlusal
bite adjustment or equilibration of bite to reduce traumatic bone and tooth sacrifice; periodontal and peri-implant bone grafting;
and the placement of a dental implant(s) to replace lost teeth and strengthen the remaining surviving teeth.'
dr. m
