Gum Disease Treatment – Fountain Valley, CA
Treating Swollen, Bleeding Gums
Gum disease often starts small. Your gums may show symptoms like becoming red and swollen or bleeding easily when you brush or floss. In time, gum disease can grow more severe and start damaging the gum tissue and bone responsible for keeping your teeth in place. Untreated gum disease is a leading cause of tooth loss, and it’s a serious risk factor for other health problems like heart disease and diabetes. Keep your smile – and your entire body – safe by calling Elite Dental of Fountain Valley to schedule an appointment for gum disease treatment in Fountain Valley.
Why Choose Elite Dental of Fountain Valley for Gum Disease Treatment?
- Cutting-Edge Dental Laser Therapy
- Excellent Dentists, Friendly Staff
- In-House Osseous Surgery
Scaling & Root Planing
No amount of brushing and flossing can remove plaque and tartar that have formed beneath the gumline. To remove these harmful substances so that they stop contributing to gum disease, we can perform a process called deep cleaning. Step one is scaling, which is where we break down and remove the plaque and tartar that are hiding behind the gum tissue. The second step, root planing, involves smoothing out the roots of the teeth so that it’s easier for the gums to reattach themselves.
Laser Gum Disease Treatment
With a dental laser, we can remove infected gum tissue and get rid of the bacteria causing the infection at the same time. The energy from the laser can be precisely aimed to remove the damaged tissue, and it sterilizes the area at the same time. What makes lasers particularly useful for gum disease treatment is that they significantly reduce bleeding by cauterizing blood vessels, and they cause so little discomfort it’s usually not even necessary to numb the mouth.
Antibiotic Therapy
After scaling and root planing, antibiotic therapy is often performed to help the gums heal while keeping bacteria levels in the mouth under control. Arestin® is an antibiotic that can be placed directly in the pockets that form when the gums pull away from the teeth; this allows it to fight the infection right at the source. Over your next several visits, we’ll keep an eye on how your gums are recovering to make sure the antibiotic is doing its job.
Osseous Surgery
In some cases, osseous surgery might be required to remove the bacteria hiding in your periodontal pockets while also addressing the damage done to the bone. The procedure involves numbing the mouth before making a small incision in the gums and folding them back. This gives us access to the bone underneath, letting us smooth it down. If necessary, bone grafts and other treatments may be recommended to rebuild the jawbone to protect your long-term oral health.