Tag Archive for: periodontal disease

Back to the Basics

Last week we had a staff meeting in the early afternoon, and we talked about gum disease.

I’ve blogged about this before… but did I really make the point clear about what gum disease is? Do YOU know exactly what it is? Let me explain in simple English:

There is a space or small gap in between your gums and your teeth, right where you see the gums meet your teeth (where you are supposed to floss). When bad bacteria are not cleaned out of these gaps — or “pockets”, as we call them — the gums may swell up, start hurting, or turn red and sensitive. The spaces grow bigger, slowly deepening and separating from the tooth. The tooth is also slowly being eaten away by this bacteria and its acidic waste. After a while, if nothing is done about it, this turns into a serious infection that can and will cause loose teeth, tooth loss, and many other painful complications that could have been easily avoided.

Brush and floss your teeth!

Dr. Boyajian, West Los Angeles

www.dentalwellnessarts.com

How Ozone Therapy Lessens Dental Pain

If you have been treated with ozone therapy before, possibly during your own root canal or periodontitis treatment, did you notice any difference in how painful the process was… or wasn’t?  Ozone actually contains pain-alleviating properties; so instead of a chemical sterilizer (which might cause additional pain to the procedure, or even spark an allergic reaction in the patient), ozone actually gives a slight soothing, clean feeling to the area because of its natural healing qualities. This makes ozone therapy ideal for treating painful afflictions such as canker sores, abscesses, and other disease/wounds. Quick healing ensues, which saves yet another need for prolonged painkiller use!

Dr. Boyajian, West Los Angeles

www.dentalwellnessarts.com

Ozone and Periodontal Disease

I just went over how ozone is beneficial to the root canal therapy procedure, but it definitely doesn’t stop there. Ozone’s uses for treating periodontal disease (a.k.a. gum disease) are numerous as well.

Periodontal disease can develop as a result of a number of causes, one of them most commonly being a simple lack of thorough and committed brushing and flossing of teeth. Other causes, such as tooth damage, injury, bad habits (smoking, tobacco, junk food, etc.), or another present disease. Symptoms of periodontal disease and gum recession might even be an allergic reaction to a certain food, substance, or medication; but that is something that should be looked into by your physician. The symptoms of gum disease might range from mere gum soreness or inflammation to severe deterioration of hard and soft tissues in and around the mouth. If left untreated, it can lead to tooth loss.

There are a few options for treatment, depending on the severity of the case: a deep-cleaning or surgery. Both require absolute sterility to be successful and to heal properly, and, of course, this is where ozone is again put to work. Ozone attacks and eliminates the bacteria and infectious organisms, providing successful treatment and a healthy environment for quick healing. Ozone is safe for the whole body and leaves no side effects or allergic reactions like medications or drugs do.

Dr. Boyajian, West Los Angeles

www.dentalwellnessarts.com

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Periodontal Treatments with Ozone & Dental Lasers

Ozone and dental lasers are very useful for treating periodontal ailments in our office. Gingivitis, most commonly known as gum disease, is most often caused by improper oral hygiene. Gingivitis symptoms are usually red, swollen, or easily bleeding gums. If left untreated, gingivitis will lead to periodontitis, where the infection spreads to the root of the tooth, under the gumline, and begins to eat away everything that holds your tooth in place. This often leads to a painful process of tooth loss.

The combination of ozone and a dental laser in treating gum disease is phenomenal. The ozone continuously keeps the area sterile, while the dental laser precisely targets the infected area with minimal pain or damage to the surrounding tissues. Healing is accelerated, and health is restored.

Dr. Glenn Boyajian, West Los Angeles

www.dentalwellnessarts.com

TMJ and Gum Disease

How does TMJ relate to periodontal disease (gum disease)? TMJ actually never quite causes gum disease, but worsens an existing case.

A prime example would be one who bruxes, or grinds, his teeth because of TMJ, but doesn’t maintain good oral hygiene. If even an “insignificant” bit of gum disease develops, the teeth-grinding, and possibly other results of TMJ — such as not being able to open the mouth all the way or swollen joints and sensitive spots in the mouth — will only increase the speed at which the disease develops and turns into something serious.

You really have no excuse if you’re just plain lazy about brushing and flossing your pearly whites; but if something like severe jaw and neck pain is preventing you from brushing and flossing regularly or correctly, then you must see a TMJ specialist immediately. Gum disease is common, and therefore doesn’t sound very serious, but it is.

TMJ is difficult enough to treat on its own; that AND gum disease would be extremely painful!

Dr. Boyajian, West Los Angeles

www.dentalwellnessarts.com