Services

With time, plaque can spread and grow below the gum line. Toxins produced by the bacteria in plaque irritate the gums. The toxins stimulate a chronic inflammatory response in which the body in essence turns on itself and the tissues and bone that support the teeth are broken down and destroyed. Gums separate from the teeth, forming pockets (spaces between the teeth and gums) that become infected. As the disease progresses, the pockets deepen and more gum tissue and bone are destroyed. Often, this destructive process has very mild symptoms. Eventually, teeth can become loose and may have to be removed.

Periodontists specialize in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of periodontal disease and in the placement of dental implants. We receive extensive training in these areas, including three additional years of education beyond dental school. I am familiar with the latest techniques for diagnosing and treating periodontal disease, and I also perform cosmetic periodontal procedures to help you achieve the smile you desire. My services include:

• pocket depth reduction

  Your bone and gum tissue should fit snugly around your teeth like a turtleneck around your neck. With periodontal disease, this supporting tissue and bone is destroyed, forming "pockets" around the teeth.

  Over time, these pockets become deeper, providing a larger space for bacteria to live. As bacteria develop around the teeth, they can accumulate and advance under the gum tissue. These deep pockets collect even more bacteria, resulting in further bone and tissue loss. Eventually, if too much bone is lost, the teeth will need to be extracted. A pocket reduction procedure has been recommended because pockets are too deep to clean with daily at-home oral hygiene and a professional care routine.

  During this procedure, the gum tissue is folded back and the disease-causing bacteria is removed before securing the tissue into place. In some cases, irregular surfaces of the damaged bone are smoothed to limit areas where disease-causing bacteria can hide. This allows the gum tissue to better reattach to healthy bone.

• soft tissue grafts

  Gums recede for a variety of reasons, including aggressive tooth brushing or periodontal disease. Once these contributing factors are controlled, a soft tissue graft procedure will repair the defect and help to prevent additional recession and bone loss.

  Soft tissue grafts can be used to cover roots or develop gum tissue where absent due to excessive gingival recession. During this procedure, a periodontist takes gum tissue from the palate or another donor source to cover the exposed root. This can be done for one tooth or several teeth to even your gum line and reduce sensitivity.

• dental implants

  A dental implant mimics the form and function of a natural tooth, which consists of a root and a crown. The crown is the visible part of your tooth. It is used to chew food and is therefore the most susceptible to cavities. The crown is attached to the jawbone by way of the root. When decay has gone deep enough or when a periodontal disease has advanced enough to warrant an extraction, the entire tooth, root and all, is taken out. The dental implant is a titanium root that gets fitted into a socket that is created in the jaw. Once the root heals, an artificial crown is placed on top. The new crown is customized to match your bite and the color of your teeth.

• scaling and root planing/surface debridement

  AAP treatment guidelines stress that periodontal health should be achieved in the least invasive and most cost-effective manner. This is often accomplished through non-surgical periodontal treatment, including scaling and root planing. Scaling is a careful cleaning of the root surfaces to remove plaque and calculus [tartar] from deep periodontal pockets. Root planing smooths the tooth root in order to remove bacterial toxins.

  3D dental imaging and laser dentistry available at select locations