Gum Treatment

    /24-7PressRelease/ - CHICAGO, IL, July 23, 2008 - To improve and enhance your smile, a cosmetic dentist can reshape the gum line with a soft tissue laser. This is a simple and quick procedure, and excellent if you have a "gummy" smile or unevenly sized teeth. By removing tiny pieces of unnecessary gum tissue, the teeth are made more evenly sized and more proportional to your age and facial shape.

But before this was done, the gums would have to be healthy. Gum disease is fairly common and many people are unaware of having it if it's in the early stage.

Two stages of gum disease
1. Gingivitis - characterized by red, swollen, and bleeding gums
2. Periodontitis - advanced decay has spread into the teeth and gums and even into the jawbone

If not addressed with adequate oral hygiene habits, the relatively minor stage of gingivitis may progress to periodontitis, which can eventually lead to tooth loss.

Bacteria Spreading
The gum line peaks between each tooth, and slopes down around them. This V-shaped area is called the sulcus. Plaque built up in the sulcus breaks down the connection between the teeth and gums, causing deterioration of the gum line. There are tiny pockets around each tooth but with poor dental hygiene, they will soon enlarge as bacteria spread into them and thrive. Bacterial excretions are acidic, as are sugar and starch as they decompose on the teeth. The substances all eat into the enamel, allowing infection to enter.

If the gums are not treated, the bone around the teeth can be destroyed. As gum disease progresses, the stability of the teeth becomes more tenuous until eventually they will fall out.

Frequent snacking increases oral acidity, which damages teeth and gums.

Treatment of Gingivitis
If early gum disease is found, your dentist will do not just standard professional cleaning, but also scaling and root planing. This involves cleaning the pockets between teeth and gums, which become enlarged when gum disease gets started. Plaque has by now become hard-to-remove tartar which must be scraped off.

Treatment of Periodontitis
1. Pocket-reduction surgery will lift the gums back to get the tartar out and smooth the damaged bone surfaces. This smoothing removes little crevices where bacteria would otherwise flourish.
2. Bone grafts can be done using pieces of your own bone or synthetic bone to replace destroyed parts of the jawbone. Bone tissue will regrow around the grafted tissue and give more stability to the teeth.
3. Soft tissue grafts can replace lost gum tissue where the gums have receded.
4. Bone surgery can smooth out the areas where bone has been lost to decay; this removes the small hollows where bacteria would have multiplied. Bone is reshaped to give better support to teeth.

Prevention
The best way to treat any form of gum disease is to prevent it. A good oral hygiene routine is recommended, with daily brushing and flossing, and regular check-up visits. Tooth decay and gum disease has to be treated before any cosmetic work can be done.

Contact the Colonial Dental group for more information regarding gum treatments and cosmetic dentistry in the Chicago area.

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