Patient’s Role

No matter how successful the periodontal treatment has been, ultimately you are most important in maintaining periodontal health. For maximum results, the patient must accept this role as a “co-therapist”.

You must take “ownership” in achieving long-term success.

The first responsibility is to eliminate factors that increase susceptibility to periodontal disease. Some of these include smoking, diabetes and excessive use of alcohol.

Secondly, it is important to maintain daily plaque control. This is achieved through brushing and using other homecare aids such as floss, interdental brushes and rubber tips. Most periodontal disease begins between the teeth, therefore, we will recommend hygiene aids for your oral hygiene routine.

Lastly, you are responsible for scheduling regular periodontal maintenance. The frequency of these visits will be determined by the level of your periodontal health. Most patients with moderate to advanced cases or patients who may be susceptible to periodontal disease should have periodontal maintenance appointments every three to four months for their lifetime. Maintaining this schedule is very important to controlling periodontal disease.

Treatment of Periodontal Disease

If you’re diagnosed with periodontal disease, non-surgical and surgical periodontal therapies may be indicated.

Periodontal health should be achieved in the least invasive manner. This is often accomplished through non-surgical periodontal treatment, including scaling and root planing (a careful cleaning of the root surfaces to remove plaque and calculus [tartar] from deep periodontal pockets and to smooth the tooth root to remove bacterial toxins), followed by adjunctive therapy such as systemic antibiotics and local delivery of antimicrobials, as needed on a case-by-case basis.

Non-surgical therapy is indicated when you have been diagnosed with gingivitis and mild forms of periodontitis. This therapy is also performed in moderate to severe cases of periodontitis to slow the disease progression and to improve the overall tissue quality prior to surgery and also to help limit the areas requiring surgical therapy.

The following are types of non-surgical treatments most commonly prescribed.

• Scaling and Root Planing
• Systemic Antibiotics
• Local Delivery of Antimicrobials
• Periodontal Maintenance

If you are diagnosed with periodontal disease, periodontal surgery may be recommended. Periodontal surgery is indicated when it has been determined that the tissue around your teeth is unhealthy and cannot be repaired with non-surgical treatment.

If you’ve already lost a tooth to periodontal disease, you may be interested in dental implants – the permanent tooth replacement option.