Periodontal Therapy – Annapolis, MD
Give Your Teeth a Healthy Home
Your teeth may be the part of your smile that everyone notices, but believe it or not, your gums are just as important. Without your gum tissue, there would be no foundation for your pearly whites. Infected gum tissue can not only be incredibly painful, but it can lead to complications down the road that might cause you to lose your teeth. As soon as you notice the symptoms of gum disease (also known as periodontal disease), such as bleeding gums, tenderness, redness, or sensitive teeth, give us a call and let us know so that we can get you scheduled for periodontal therapy in Annapolis. Drs. Gary and Jeremy Goodman will create a customized treatment plan to stop the infection in its tracks before it causes any lasting harm.
Why Choose Goodman Dental Care for Periodontal Therapy?
- Dedicated to Educating Patients as Much as Possible
- Prevent Complications Like Tooth Loss
- Maintain Healthy Gums for Years to Come
SimplyPerio® Testing
With SimplyPerio®, we’re able to proactively detect gum disease in Annapolis before visible damage occurs so we can provide treatment and prevent it from progressing. All we need is a little bit of saliva to get a ton of information about your oral bacteria. In addition to early detection of dental issues, it can also reveal the initial signs of systemic health problems so you can stay ahead of them.
Why Is Early Detection of Gum Disease Important?
In most cases, a patient only receives gum disease treatment after the infection has already caused problems, including noticeable symptoms like red and swollen gums that bleed easily, chronic bad breath, or even loose teeth. At this point, the bacteria have already spread and advanced, harming the soft and hard oral tissues.
But SimplyPerio® offers gum disease testing in Annapolis that can detect it prior to visible symptoms, which can go a long way in preventing more advanced issues like tooth loss.
How Does SimplyPerio® Testing Work?
If you’ve ever done an at-home DNA test to learn more about your ancestry, then the process will be very familiar.
We take a very small sample of your saliva, and this is sent to a lab for testing. From there, our team receives a report that not only details which oral bacteria are present, but also how much. On top of indicating dental issues, conditions like diabetes, cardiovascular problems, rheumatoid arthritis, and more often show their first signs in the mouth.
What Happens After SimplyPerio® Testing?
Based on your lab readout, we’ll recommend a personalized treatment plan as well as advise if you need to see a different kind of doctor if there are signs of disease beyond your mouth. We may suggest everything from just improving your oral hygiene at home to undergoing scaling and root planing as well as antibiotic treatment.
Looking ahead, we’ll run another SimplyPerio® test every three to six months so we can monitor your progress, make sure treatment is working, and ensure we’re able to find any concerns as soon as possible.
What Causes Gum Disease?
Several factors can contribute to the development of gum disease, such as genetics and lifestyle choices. The most common cause is the accumulation of plaque on the teeth and gumline. Plaque is a sticky biofilm that builds up in your mouth constantly. You can disrupt it on your own with daily brushing and flossing, but if you neglect these habits, plaque can harden into tartar. At that point, it can only be removed by a dental professional.
Tartar is chock full of dangerous bacteria that can irritate your gums, causing them to bleed or become red and tender. In the early stages of gum disease, symptoms are mild, but eventually, the infection reaches the point where you have persistent bad breath, a chronic bad taste in your mouth, or pus forming in your gums. Gum disease may even culminate in your teeth becoming loose or falling out altogether. For this reason, it’s crucial that you report any unusual symptoms to us as soon as possible. Doing so could save your smile!
Comprehensive Periodontal Therapy
Fortunately, there are ways to treat periodontal disease before it reaches the point of causing serious damage. Here are the most common and effective ways of dealing with gum disease:
Scaling & Root Planing
Our main goal when treating gum disease is twofold: we want to remove the bacteria causing the infection and give your gums an opportunity to heal and reattach to your teeth. To accomplish this, we perform a scaling and root planing procedure, otherwise known as a dental deep cleaning. Your dentist in Annapolis will use special instruments to scrape off (or scale) built-up plaque and tartar from areas where your toothbrush or floss might not have been able to reach. Then, we’ll smooth (or plane) the teeth’s roots to prevent bacteria from adhering to them in the future while speeding up the recovery process.
Antibiotic Therapy
Often used in conjunction with scaling and root planing, antibiotic therapy involves applying a topical medication directly to your infected gums to kill any bacteria that might still remain even after a dental deep cleaning. We may also prescribe an antibiotic in pill form for you to take over a few days, just to eliminate as many bacteria as possible.
Gum Disease Treatment FAQs
Does the SimplyPerio Saliva Test Detect Just Periodontal Health Pathogens?
The SimplyPerio Saliva Test is a dynamic, non-invasive diagnostic tool that can detect dangerous bacteria and viruses associated with gum disease and other health problems.
The SimplyPerio Saliva Test can provide you and your dentist with comprehensive caries (cavities) risk assessments, as well as detect keystone periodontal and oral-systemic pathogens including bacterial, fungal, and viral, all in one convenient test.
This test can be extremely helpful in identifying microorganisms that could cause or contribute to a variety of oral and systemic health problems, allowing greater opportunity for early intervention and prevention. Studies have shown that oral health and overall systemic health are closely connected, with many medical conditions originating from oral health issues such as periodontal disease and infection. Thus, early detection of oral problems can help stop systemic issues from developing or worsening.
How Long Does It Take to Get Results Back from the SimplyPerio Saliva Test?
The SimplyPerio Saliva Test has a remarkably high turnaround time. Most patients can expect their results within 24 to 48 hours after their test kit has been received at the laboratory.
Will One Round of Treatment Cure Gum Disease?
The exact number of treatments you’ll need depends on the individual patient, however in many cases it will need to be repeated. Following treatment, your mouth will be monitored by your dentist to ensure your gum disease does not come back. You will need to return for follow-up testing and periodontal check-ups every three to four months to help keep the infection under control. Once it has been successfully managed, you can resume to your normal, six-month preventive exam and cleaning appointments to maintain your healthy smile.
Who Can Benefit Most from SimplyPerio Testing?
Anyone can benefit from SimplyPerio testing; however, it is highly recommended for patients who fit the following criteria:
- Patients with signs of gingivitis, including gums that bleed while cleaning, swollen gums, or red, tender gums.
- Patients with unexplained inflammatory biomarkers including hsCRP.
- Patients who have recently concluded orthodontic treatment, tooth extraction, root canals, or dental implants.
- Patients who are pregnant or trying to conceive.
- Patients who are at risk for systemic health problems such as diabetes or heart disease.