PERIODONTICS

Non Surgical Gum Disease Therapy

diagram of gum disease eroding a toothGum disease is a serious condition that can interfere with whether or not you are able to preserve your natural teeth for life. When overlooked, periodontal infections lead to symptoms like:

  • Receding gumlines
  • Gums that are swollen or bleed
  • Bad breath
  • Tooth mobility
  • Excessive tartar buildup
  • Soreness
  • Bone loss

LANAP Laser Gum Treatments

In addition to providing conventional scaling and root planing services, we also implement state of the art laser therapy to better manage moderate to severe gum disease.

With lanap, we can eliminate bacterial infections within the pockets under the gumlines. This also triggers a response that helps the gum tissue to reattach to the actual surfaces of the tooth roots. As a result, we typically see an increased response to treatment compared to conventional deep cleaning alone.

How Periodontal Disease Can Impact Your Health

Eliminating gum infections isn’t just about preserving a healthy smile, preventing tooth loss and need for a root canal. It impacts your overall quality of life as well. Scientific research has linked gum disease with increased inflammation and suppression of the immune system, allowing certain types of conditions to worsen, including:

  • Diabetes and obesity
  • Sleep apnea
  • Heart attack, stroke, and high blood pressure
  • Erectile dysfunction
  • Premature labor and low birth weight in infants

By eliminating the bacterial infection that spreads from your mouth into your cardiovascular system, you can improve your body’s ability to manage subsequent health conditions more effectively.

Detecting Gum Disease

dentist and hygenist peforming periodonal procedureEvery patient is put through a tedious screening process that assesses the health of the gum tissues at 6 different points around each tooth. We measure the depth of “pocket” around the tooth to determine the level of gum tissue attachment. Areas that are 3mm deep or less are considered healthy, while deeper areas indicate tissue detachment caused by infection.

Have you had a periodontal screening in the past 6 months? If not, we invite you to call Virgin Valley Dental right away to schedule your next check-up with us.