Here at A-Plus Dental in San Jose, CA, we are proud to treat periodontal disease. Though periodontal disease can affect your health and life, most people don’t do much to ensure they have healthy teeth.
For this reason, it is important to have regular dental cleanings to make sure your smile is healthy. If you get diagnosed with periodontal disease, we are here to help. We will do a thorough cleaning to remove the tartar and other buildup on your teeth and underneath your gums. There are times when additional treatment is necessary, like antibacterial mouthwash, oral antibiotics, or antibiotics placed on your trouble areas.
Then, you need to improve your dental care at home. You need to brush your teeth at least twice daily and floss daily to keep tartar from building up. You also need to continue to see your dentist regularly to ensure that it does not come back.
What is Periodontal Gum Disease?
Even though it is preventable, periodontal disease is quite common in adults. The disease is caused when you don’t brush and floss like you should, which causes tartar to build up.
Symptoms of periodontal disease include red and swollen gums. They often bleed even with a simple brushing. You may get sensitive teeth, which can make it hard to eat. Some people lose a tooth (or more). People with periodontal disease often have horribly bad breath.
We diagnose periodontal disease during an examination of your teeth. Using a probe, we can find trouble areas, though we may want to do x-rays too.
To get rid of the disease, we will need to perform a good professional cleaning so we can remove the tartar from your teeth and underneath your gums. We may recommend an antibacterial mouthwash. There are also times when you may need an antibiotic in either a gel or pill form. There are times when surgery needs to be done to get rid of the deep pockets of infection.
Once your periodontal disease is under control, good home care with brushing and flossing should help keep it from coming back.
Periodontal Disease Maintenance At Our San Jose Office
Periodontal disease maintenance is done to stop periodontal disease from progressing. Basically, we clean your mouth thoroughly, removing tartar and plaque that have built up. We get all of the areas you can reach and those you can’t, such as underneath your gums. There are times when periodontal disease is really bad, and then we decide to medicate your teeth and gum pockets with an antibiotic or antimicrobial gel.
After a cleaning, it is important for you to continue to brush and floss your teeth to keep bacteria at bay. You may also want to rinse with an antibacterial mouthwash to help!
If you are concerned that you may have periodontal disease, don’t hesitate to contact us today at (408) 266-8800. We will get you in for an examination as soon as possible.