Periodontitis is a serious gum disorder that may have potentially fatal impact on your overall health. It is very important to set a dental visit if you notice your gums are a bit puffy, dusky red in color, and bleed easily. The earlier the condition is treated by a dentist, the higher the chances of reversing any damage thereby preventing any serious health problems that may go beyond dental issues.
Testing and Diagnosing Periodontitis
Once you see your dentist regarding on what you suspect as periodontitis, a diagnosis will be made and further testing undertaken if necessary. Your dentist will conduct a visual inspection of your gums and note down your descriptions of the other symptoms. Physical examination would basically consist of an examination for plaque and tartar buildup as well as checking how easily your gums bleed.
For the more severe cases, a more extensive evaluation may have to be carried out. A dental instrument may have to be used to measure the pocket depth of the groove between you gums and your teeth. An indication of periodontitis would be a pocket depth of more 5 mm. To get a more comprehensive assessment of the damage, your dentist may request you for a dental X-ray to check on the extent of bone loss in the areas where pocket depths are very deep.
Treating Your Periodontitis
In treating your periodontitis, your dentist may use either surgical or non-surgical methods, depending on the severity of the gum disease. If the periodontitis is not yet on the advanced stage, management of the condition may involve non-invasive methods such as scaling, root planning, and the use of antibiotics to control the infection. These treatment methods will be explained fully during your discussion with your dentist.
For the more advanced cases in which non-surgical options may not be applicable, a dental surgery may have to be performed. Choices will include flap surgery or pocket reduction surgery, soft tissue grafts, bone grafting, guided tissue regeneration, and enamel matrix derivative application.