When you have gum disease, your dentist in Fairfax, VA, will recommend periodontal treatment. The type of periodontal treatment you need will depend on how much your gum disease has progressed.
Progression of Gum Disease
If you have gingivitis, you might notice that your gums are red and swollen; they might bleed when you brush and floss. Gingivitis is early stage infection that can be treated with a professional cleaning at your dentist’s office as well as diligent brushing and flossing.
If gingivitis is left untreated, however, it can progress to periodontitis. This is a more serious level of infection that affects not only your gums, but also your jawbone. If periodontal treatment is not administered, the condition will get worse and you might even lose your teeth.
Nonsurgical treatment of gum disease includes scaling and root planning, which scrapes the plaque and tartar from your teeth and their roots below the gum line.
More advanced treatments include pocket reduction procedures, gum grafts, and bone grafts.
Gum Disease Treatment in Fairfax
Good home care in the form of brushing and flossing after meals goes a long way in making sure you do not need periodontal treatment for gum disease. Visiting your dentist twice each year is also recommended. Often, gum disease presents without any symptoms and only your dentist can identify it.
