Image

You Can Smile Again with Advanced Gum Treatments

June 16, 2018
Dental Health

With regard to oral health, there is one widespread problem that is often ignored by the public and the media.

It’s gum disease, which is also called periodontal disease.

Odds are, you will probably have a gum infection during your life. The Centers for Disease Control estimates that nearly half of the US population 30 years and older has some form of periodontitis, which is an advanced form of gum disease. When you add mild gum disease into the mix, it’s easy to see that most people have or will have a problem at some point in time.

Our team in Albuquerque, NM, wants to work with you to keep your mouth as healthy as possible. That includes helping you get advanced gum disease treatment to remove your infection and restore the appearance of your smile.

Today, we’ll be discussing the effects of gum disease and what Uptown Dental Associates can do to restore your smile. To schedule an appointment or to learn more, please call (505) 219-4548 today!

Gum Disease Can Alter Your Smile

You may already know that harmful bacteria live in your mouth. If given the opportunity, they will form plaque, which can harden into tartar. This can lead to tooth decay and cavities.

This also can irritate your gums, setting the stage for gum infections to occur.

Healthy gums look pink and feel firm. They also do NOT bleed when you brush and floss your teeth. (You are doing both of those things every day, right?)

In the early stages, your gums can appear red and swollen, and they may bleed when you brush or floss. If you take action at this stage, you can reverse the problem relatively easily.

If your gum disease gets worse, however, you may notice other problems. Your gums might feel sore and tender. You may see pus between your teeth and gums. You may have bad breath that never seems to go away.

And you might notice your gums are receding or separating from your teeth. This can lead to loose teeth, changes in how your bite fits together, and lost teeth.

Our hope is that you will call us before any of your teeth are at risk. Next, however, we want to discuss how we can restore the appearance of your smile with a minimally invasive procedure.

The Chao Pinhole Technique

The first step is removing the harmful bacteria that caused your gum infection.

This is often a multi-step process. We often start with scaling and root planing to remove plaque and tartar buildup and to smooth the surface of your roots. Using dental lasers, we can remove the infected gum tissue while preserving more of your healthy gums.

But that’s not going to put your gums back where they were before they receded.

The old way of fixing this involves a surgical procedure called a gum graft. Your gum tissue would be cut open and new tissue would be transplanted into your mouth.

Your gums would then be stitched closed. As you heal, your existing gum tissue and the transplanted tissue will grow together to restore your smile … and protect the roots of your teeth again.

We have a better way of restoring your smile using the Chao Pinhole® Treatment. Using a few pinhole-sized openings, we can reposition your gums to where they should be to restore the appearance of your smile to provide cover for your roots.

With this technique, your gum recession treatment takes about an hour. It does not require stitches, and you will heal faster than you would have with gum surgery.

Healthy Gums Make for Better Smiles

When your gums are healthy, that’s good for your entire mouth. Our advanced treatments, including the Chao Pinhole technique, can remove the infection and get your smile back to looking as good as it ever did.

Once your infection has been removed, we hope you will continue to visit Uptown Dental Associates to keep your mouth free of gum disease for years to come.

To make an appointment for treatment or preventive care, call our Albuquerque, NM dental office today at (505) 219-4548 or fill out our online form to request an appointment.

We want to keep you smiling!