Tag Archive for: periodontitis

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Gum Recession: The How and The Why

How do people end up with recessed gums? Gum recession is a common result brought about by gum disease  (or its more advanced stages of gingivitis and periodontitis) and abrasive over-brushing (brushing your teeth too harshly too often with the wrong brush). Perhaps poor dental work in the past has caused an imbalance in the mouth, possibly a bite malfunction that has, over time, negatively affected occlusal (bite) functionality.

As a side note, yes, even slight imbalances in bite mechanics can cause long-term diseases and vulnerabilities that seem unrelated. That’s why holistic dentistry is so important: we get to the root of the problem, considering the whole patient. If you try treating gum recession without first considering the possibility of TMJ problems, mercury poisoning and tissue rejection from amalgam fillings, or miscalculated restorations, you may have to do it over again, with poorer results each time.

So why is gum recession a problem? Recessed gums weaken and loosen the roots of teeth, exposing the vulnerable parts to physical injury and infectious bacteria. Gum recession sets the stage for tooth decay and tooth loss. Practicality aside, bad cases of gum recession are not aesthetically pleasing and may cause patients to be self-conscious.

What about you? Have you had any experience with gum recession, or do you know someone else who has? News of this Pinhole Surgery  and other gum surgery techniques may be a welcome relief, then… or maybe something you wish your dentist knew a long time ago.

Dr. Boyajian, West Los Angeles

https://dentalwellnessarts.com

Dental Laser Therapy for Periodontitis

There are different degrees of gum disease. Sometimes it’s mild, manifesting itself as soft tissue swelling, redness, or sensitivity. Other times it’s severe, probably a case that has been neglected too long. Recessed tissues, deep pockets, extreme pain, bad tastes/smells, and an ongoing infection are indicative of periodontitis.

If you have been diagnosed with periodontitis, your level of treatment will depend on the severity of your case. Obviously, mild cases will heal up quickly if you receive prompt treatment and you take care of yourself. A more serious condition of gum disease could take months to properly recover from. Diseased gums that have shrunken and shriveled off teeth need time and a clean, clean environment in order to grow back and fit snugly around them again.

Conventional periodontal therapy/surgery is effective but invasive. In order to remove diseased tissue, parts of the gums and teeth may be simply cut out instead of treated. Ironically, this kind of treatment leads to a longer, harder recovery and can weaken oral health permanently. Risk of mistakes on the dentist’s part increase as well.

In a holistic practice, however, where a laser is used in conjunction with ozone gas, surgery is almost never necessary. Dental laser wavelengths can be calibrated, in a sense, to perform many different functions ranging from gentle cleaning of diseased tissue — without damaging normal tissues in the same area — to cutting and reshaping of tissue. It is completely non-toxic and much less painful than regular slicing and dicing because of its inherent cauterizing properties. Bacteria cannot survive under a laser’s beam, so the process of sterilization is furthermore simplified, especially with additional blasts of ozone gas. Not to mention, recovery is faster and smoother because of minimal intervention and blood flow stimulation.

Perhaps you’ve been diagnosed with gum disease. During an initial inspection of your periodontal health, the degree of the disease will be evaluated and your individual prognosis will be determined. You’ll be instructed on the steps you must take in order to heal. At your appointment, your mouth and teeth will be cleaned and thoroughly prepared so the environment is in the best possible shape for a temporary “construction zone.”

At the site of treatment, the gum pocket(s) will be separated from the tooth with an instrument, and the laser will be used to clean away the infection and dead/decaying parts of the tooth and gums. All exposed surfaces of the tooth and gums are prepared to bond together again so healing may occur. Blood clotting stimulation may be administered to further speed up healing. The process is quite speedy; most cases can be taken care of in a single appointment and may also leave the patient in conditions good enough to return to work the next day.

As always, however, the best cure for a disease or infection is prevention in the first place. My laser adds a fantastic element of superior dental care to this practice, but as the patient, preventing gum disease by yourself in the first place is the best route to take.

Happy flossing!

Dr. Boyajian, West Los Angeles

www.dentalwellnessarts.com

Lasers to Treat Gum Disease

I recently purchased a PerioLase dental laser. It’s a fabulous tool.

Periodontitis, or gum disease, happens when a bacterial infection develops between the teeth and gums. Naturally, gums are supposed to fit around the teeth snugly. A shallow pocket, however, does exist between healthy teeth and gums, one that should not be deep, painful, or swollen.

The presence of these pockets is why it’s so important to floss. Too many people are lazy about flossing and/or irrigating. The truth is that food will get stuck in those pockets and literally rot right there in your mouth. Pathogenic bacteria will find that leftover food and feast on it. Unfortunately, surrounding tissues are victimized as well while the body’s immune system tries to eliminate the infection. Oral sensitivity, pain, and bad smells will ensue. It sounds disgusting because it is. So floss!

Treating periodontitis traditionally has required incisions and stitches; that means pain and bleeding. Surgical methods of gum disease therapy are still the norm. The vast majority of dentists don’t care for the cost and training involved in adding a laser to their practice. Their reasoning is that it cannot completely replace a drill, so why bother?

The beauty of laser therapy is that it is clean, quick, and virtually painless. There is little to no need for anesthesia (which, if needed, would be local) and it yields great results. One laser can be adjusted to different strengths for different uses. I’ll go over that and how we’d apply it to real-life situations in the next post.

Dr. Boyajian, West Los Angeles

www.dentalwellnessarts.com

Healthy Gums, Healthy Body

Lately, numerous amounts of questions have arisen on the topic concerning the connection between oral health and overall health. Does the former really affect the latter? How is someone possibly at risk for heart disease or low birth weight babies if the apparent problem is only in his/her mouth?

Our bodies are not a jumble of different mechanisms forming one walking, talking unit. Each of the body’s systems — the nervous system, the cardiovascular system, the endocrine system, etc. — work in unison to keep us living in steady homeostasis! If one system fails or malfunctions, it gradually leads to another system losing its ability to function properly, and it spirals downward from there.

Inflamed parts of your body can lead to further inflammation or infection in other parts. Periodontitis is the body’s response to harmful bacteria left in your mouth. Periodontitis — ahem gum disease, if severe enough and untreated long enough, will, in fact, set off other inflammatory mechanisms in your body, leading to such things as diabetes, cardiovascular (heart) disease, and preterm and low birth weight babies. And gum disease is common — it can happen to anyone.

Don’t ignore the significance of this link. Good oral hygiene is serious!

Dr. Boyajian, West Los Angeles

www.dentalwellnessarts.com

You, Your Bite and Occlusal Disease

Occlusal disease is the fancy name for “bite disease”. What? How does one’s bite become diseased, you ask? Well, there are three types of bad things that can happen to your teeth: decay (cavities), gum disease, and bite disease. We’ve discussed the first two, so here goes occlusal (bite) disease.

Occlusal disease is the condition where your bite — the way your teeth come down onto each other — is uneven, crooked, or misaligned. You may not be able to bite down all the way or chew thoroughly, and your jaw muscles must work harder for these simple tasks. Because of the unevenness, some teeth are worn down faster than others, and further wearing, breaking, or chipping of teeth may occur. The extra work on the jaw muscles also causes pain all around the jaw, mouth, head, and neck. “Aging” teeth may not be aging at all — the wear and tear is because of a bite problem long left untreated. It’s a mess!

Occlusal disease is often hard to spot. Unlike cavities or gum disease, it’s not always visually apparent. What may appear to be a randomly broken tooth could be a more severe underlying problem… and fixing just that one tooth is not going to help if the whole jaw is misaligned.

Dentists trained at The Pankey Institute develop the eyes for recognizing bite problems, making it less of a mystery to solve if one finds himself suffering the symptoms. Much research goes into fixing the problem; casts and models of your teeth are made so the dentist can see where the problem lies and how it can be adjusted (bite analysis). Occlusal disease also ties directly into bioesthetic dentistry and treating TMJ disorders. A simple, non-surgical tweaking of the muscles (most often used with a MAGO, or mouthguard-looking splint that helps “train” the muscles to realign in the correct positions) may very well be the solution to chewing food without harming your skull, and preserving functional, straight teeth well into your later years.

 

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

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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