Maintaining Oral Health after Periodontal Disease

If you were diagnosed with periodontal disease, the first order of business is an effective treatment. The exact type of treatment that you have will depend on the type of periodontal disease that you suffer from, and ongoing care can also vary based on that. To fully understand periodontal disease treatment and its aftermath, you first need to know more about the types of periodontal disease.

The Main Types of Periodontal Disease

While there are technically many kinds of periodontal disease, they can be divided into two general categories.

Gingivitis: Gingivitis is the first stage of periodontal disease. It causes swollen red gums, but usually no pain. Gingivitis is typically reversible by combining professional periodontal care with at-home measures. It’s important to treat gingivitis before it evolves into the next stage of gum disease, periodontitis.

Periodontitis: Periodontitis, the second stage of periodontal disease, happens when plaque spreads beneath the gums. This causes inflammation and pain as well as the destruction of both soft and hard tissues supporting the teeth. There are several types of periodontitis, including aggressive periodontitis, chronic periodontitis, systemic periodontitis, and necrotizing periodontitis. Periodontitis can sometimes be reversible with some of today’s advanced regenerative technologies.

Treatment After Periodontal Disease

Your Vero Implants & Periodontics periodontist, Dr. Jeffrey Brown, can recommend treatments such as teeth cleaning, special mouth rinses, and improved oral care at home for gingivitis. You’ll need to follow Dr. Brown’s guidelines very closely to ensure that the gingivitis doesn’t grow worse and become periodontitis. Often, strict attention to brushing and flossing can make all the difference when it comes to gingivitis. Dr. Brown may also recommend more frequent dental cleanings to make sure that you’re removing all plaque and tartar properly.

For periodontitis, the treatment can depend on the origin of the disease. Options can include surgical dental cleanings, guided bone regeneration, tissue grafting, along with several other effective options. When needed, as in the case of systemic periodontitis, Dr. Brown can work together with your medical doctor to make sure that you have the best treatment.

After any periodontitis treatment, careful oral care is absolutely crucial. You’ll need to meticulously maintain brushing and flossing routines at home every day. You will likely also need to use a special anti-plaque rinse every day. Patients with periodontitis will usually need to have more frequent dental cleanings. For example, you might need to have a deep dental cleaning every three months rather than the usual routine of every six months.

No matter which type of periodontal disease that you’ve been diagnosed with, it’s important to understand that your diet has likely played a role. After your periodontal disease treatment, it’s very important to make dietary changes that will help you avoid plaque as much as possible. The less sugary foods that you eat, the better off you’ll be in terms of oral health — and of course this also has benefits for your body as a whole. Sugar is the number one enemy of health teeth and gums, and a high sugar diet is almost sure to lead to oral health problems at some point. If you have sugar cravings, try to make some simple changes like swapping candy for fruit. It will take some adjustment, but your teeth (and your whole body) will be much better for it long term.

Struggling With Periodontal Disease?

If you notice the signs of periodontal disease, for example, red gums or pain while you’re brushing, it’s very important that you don’t ignore it. Periodontal disease won’t resolve itself unless you get treatment and make the right type of changes. Dr. Brown and the whole Vero Implants & Periodontics team can help with periodontal disease at any stage, so don’t hesitate to call the office to get help today. You can even schedule an appointment online now. The Vero Implants & Periodontics team looks forward to seeing you soon.