I Want to Keep My Teeth!

Treatment for Periodontal Disease

Hi Everyone!

Dr. Thomas Kang, my colleague at First Hill Dental Implant Center, wrote a surgical statement a couple of years ago about periodontal treatment.  He wrote this paper for patients so they could better understand the treatments we were recommending.  It is an excellent paper and I highly recommend you download a copy and read it as his description is very comprehensive.

In the interest of collaboration, Dr. Kang asked me if I had anything to add, and of course, I do!  Below are a few supplementary points that I would like to add.  

• Scaling and root planing is also frequently referred to as "deep cleaning".  As this term implies, it is more involved than a standard prophylaxis (normal teeth cleaning) as it is often performed with local dental anesthetic injections so that infected pockets can be appropriately debrided (debridement is the medical removal of a patient's dead, damaged, or infected tissue to improve the healing potential of the remaining healthy tissue.) and cleaned without causing significant pain to the patient. 

• Re-checking pocket depths after scaling and root planing is called "periodontal re-evaluation".  It can typically be performed anywhere from 4 weeks to 3 months after your scaling is completed.  Many times after your periodontal disease is treated  – surgically or non-surgically – it is often necessary to maintain and prevent the active infection from recurring or re-activating.  This is often followed closely by having cleanings, or maintenance appointments, more frequently (3 or 4 times each year). 

• Periodontitis is definitely a bacterial mediated infection.  There are a number of other factors that influence and exacerbate this disease.  These components include:  genetics, tobacco use, medications, other health or systemic conditions/diseases, and stress. 

• Other conditions periodontal disease has been linked to include respiratory infections and pre-term, low birth-weight babies from pregnant mothers. 

• Smoking is one of the most powerful and changeable factors contributing to periodontal disease.  It always makes existing gum disease significantly more destructive, but often times masks the superficial appearance of diseased gums. 

Well, that’s my two cents!  I encourage you to download Dr Kang’s original piece to get the whole picture.

If you have any questions or comments, I encourage you to post them and I will respond to your inquiries.

Kevin Suzuki, D.M.D., M.S.