Gum disease is a serious infection that can lead to tooth loss, increase your risk of heart attack, stroke, diabetes, respiratory diseases, and premature/underweight babies.

The word periodontal literally means "around the tooth." Periodontal disease can affect one tooth or many teeth. It begins when the bacteria in plaque (the sticky, colorless film that constantly forms on your teeth) causes the gums to become inflamed. Gingivitis is the mildest form of the disease, producing red, swollen gums that bleed easily. Often caused by inadequate oral hygiene, gingivitis is reversible with professional treatment and good oral home care.

However, untreated gingivitis can become periodontitis, with plaque spreading and growing below the gum line. Resulting toxins can destroy the tissues and bone that support the teeth. 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. This highly destructive process is often silent, with very mild symptoms. Yet eventually, teeth can become loose and may have to be removed.

Periodontal Surgery

When the tissue around your teeth cannot be repaired with non-surgical treatment. The most common types of surgical treatments are:

Pocket Reduction Procedures. With periodontal disease, tissue and bone supporting the teeth are destroyed, creating "pockets" around the tooth. As the pockets deepen, they produce more space where bacteria can live and migrate under the gum tissue, resulting in more tissue and bone loss which can ultimately require tooth extraction. In a pocket reduction procedure, the gum tissue is pulled back, disease-causing bacteria is removed and the tissue is secured in place. Sometimes, irregular surfaces of the damaged bone are smoothed so gum tissue can better reattach to healthy bone.

Regenerative Procedures. When the bone supporting your teeth has been destroyed, these procedures can reverse some of the damage. Gum tissue is folded back, bacteria is removed. Then membranes, bone grafts or tissue- stimulating proteins can be used to encourage your body's natural ability to regenerate bone and tissue.

Crown Lengthening. Do you have a "gummy smile" that makes your teeth look to short? Your teeth may actually be the proper lengths, but they're covered with too much gum tissue. Crown lengthening involves reshaping the gum and bone tissue to expose more natural tooth. This can be done to one tooth, to even your gum line, or to several teeth to expose a natural, broad smile. A crown lengthening can also be done in the case of a tooth that has broken vertically, with the break extending beneath the gum line. The procedure raises the gum line to allow a dentist to attach a crown.

Soft Tissue Grafts. When gums recede, tooth roots are exposed, often making teeth appear to be too long. Or, the exposed roots may be sensitive to hot or cold foods and liquids. Augmenting your natural gums with soft tissue grafts can correct these problems.

If you've lost a tooth due to periodontal disease or injury, or if you have ill-fitting dentures or partials, you may want to consider a permanent solution, dental implants.

Click here for more information,about Dental Implants.

Cosmetic Procedures

Our specialists at Southeastern Dental Associates also perform cosmetic procedures to enhance your smile.

Cosmetic procedures include:

Crown Lengthening — gum revisions to correct excessive gum which can create a "gummy smile" and make teeth appear to be too short (see details at Periodontal Surgery.)

Soft Tissue Grafts — gum augmentation to correct receding gums which can make teeth appear to be too long (see details at Periodontal Surgery.

Ridge Augmentation — When one or more teeth are lost, an indention sometimes occurs in the gums and jawbone where the tooth used to be. This happens because the jawbone recedes when it no longer is holding a tooth in place. This indentation looks unnatural and also causes the replacement tooth to look too long compared to the adjacent teeth. This indentation can be filled to reflect the natural gum and jaw contour.

Causes of Periodontal Disease

Bacterial plaque is the leading cause of periodontal disease, but many other factors also affect gum health.

• Smoking/Tobacco Use
• Genetics
• Pregnancy and Puberty
• Stress
• Some Medications, such as oral contraceptives, anti-depressants, and certain heart medicines
• Grinding the Teeth
• Grinding the Teeth

For more information about any aspect of periodontics, we welcome your call to Southeastern Dental Associates or email us