Importance of Periodontal Health

Healthy gums mean your smile looks and feels great. According to recent research, it may also mean you are at a decreased risk for numerous chronic and systemic illnesses like heart disease and diabetes. Additionally, patients with healthy gums are much less likely to lose teeth since periodontal disease is the leading cause of tooth loss among adults in the US. Long story short, keeping your gums healthy may mean the difference between a lifetime of healthy smiles and chronic struggles with your oral and overall health. That’s why skilled dentists are dedicated to helping patients maintain their periodontal health with regular preventive visits and non-surgical gum therapies.

Preventive Periodontal Charting

Gum recession is one of the earliest indicators of gum disease. For this reason, your dentist or hygienist will carefully track the depths of the pockets between your teeth and gums. This is a process called periodontal charting. If there are noticeable changes in the depths of the gum pockets between six month checkups, your dentist will know to take a closer look at your gum health or make recommendations for changes to your in-office dental care and at-home hygiene.

Treating Early Gum Disease

If we notice the early signs of gum disease, we can typically renew your oral health with more frequent teeth cleanings in our office. We’ll also work with you to ensure your daily oral hygiene routine is effective. This is typically effective to halt the advance of gum disease, but if you do experience more advanced periodontal concerns, there are additional non-surgical treatments available to keep your smile healthy.

Advanced Periodontal Health Options

Keeping your smile healthy is always the first choice, but if for any reason you do experience gum disease too advanced to be effectively treated with more frequent professional cleanings, there are other solutions available to renew your oral health. Some non-surgical periodontal therapies include:

• Scaling – removal of plaque and tartar buildup and damaged tissue
• Root planing – smoothing of tooth roots to prevent future plaque and tartar buildup
• Antibiotics – either oral or topical antibiotics may be used to limit the numbers of plaque-producing bacteria in the mouth

Meet Dr. Pettigrew

At the Southlake dentistry practice of J. Lee Pettigrew, DDS, we are passionate about keeping patients’ smiles healthy and happy for life. It’s always Dr. Pettigrew’s goal to provide the most conservative treatments. That’s why every patient’s dental health care plan is focused on prevention. If we’re unable to stop gum disease before it begins, we also provide a wide range of conservative treatments to renew oral health and keep you smiling. Call our team to find out more about periodontal therapies in our Southlake dental office or schedule your preventive dentistry appointment today.