If you suffer from gum disease, then it is very important that you have it treated. Dentists can provide a variety of surgical and non-surgical treatment methods that can help out a great deal. This article will discuss 3 methods for treating gum disease.

Scaling And Root Planing

If you have been diagnosed with gum disease, then one treatment method that your dentist may decide upon is a non-surgical treatment called scaling and root planing. When you have gum disease, you likely have a buildup of plaque and tartar both above and below your gum line. This buildup stops your gums from attaching to the top of your teeth and can expose the bone if the plaque and tartar reach high enough. To help stop this from getting worse, your dentist will use a process called scaling to remove this buildup from your teeth. Then he will use the process called root planing to smooth out the roots of your teeth. Both of these combined help your gums to reattach to the top of your teeth and become healthy again. 

Pocket Reduction

Sometimes, a non-surgical method is not going to be enough, and your dentist may need to try a surgical method. One procedure that can help to heal your gum disease is called pocket reduction. With gum disease, your gum lifts away from the top of each of your infected teeth, creating a pocket. Within this pocket, there is a buildup of plaque, tartar, and other harmful bacteria. To remove these things, your dentist will lift back your gums and completely clean the areas underneath. The gums are then placed firmly against the tooth to try to prevent more plaque and tartar from building up, as well as to reduce the amount of bacteria that can get inside. 

Bone and Soft Tissue Grafts

There are two other surgical procedures that have proven effective for treating gum disease; they are bone grafts and soft tissue grafts. Soft tissue grafts are done to help rebuild your gums with healthy tissue after all of the infected tissue has been removed. Bone grafts are done to help replace the bones in your mouth that had to be removed due to infection and deterioration. You only need one or the other, depending on the severity of your gum disease and the areas that have been the most effected.

For more information, contact Fuller Periodontics & Implant Dentistry or a similar location.