Prevent Tooth Loss With Gum Disease Treatment in Bicknell
Cavities have a reputation as being harmful to your oral health, and they are – but they aren’t as damaging as gum disease. According to the CDC, it’s the leading cause of tooth loss among American adults. It’s also quite common; half of all adults have some form of it. These statistics are why we take gum disease treatment in Bicknell, IN so seriously.
Doctor Williams on Gum Disease Treatment
Periodontal disease is one of the most common afflictions of man. Research says that there's 70 percent of the adult population has some form of periodontal disease. The way you control that is by plaque control. The plaque is what causes the tartar to form, and if you're able to keep the plaque disrupted daily, have any tartar removed by us every four to six months, puts the gums in an environment where they can be healthy and support the teeth solidly.
It's always better to prevent something from happening than to fix it after it already has. That's really one of the most important reasons to have regular checkups and cleanings, is because as long as the teeth are healthy, fluoride treatments help prevent dental decay, we're able to maybe find things while it's small, before it gets bad and relatively expensive to fix. Preventive dentistry is really a key thing.
So many of us are – if it's not broke, don't fix it, and we wait until we have a problem. It's kind of a bad mindset to have, and I'm kind of guilty of that myself, but to be able to have routine care and to make sure that you're not having a problem is really the best care that you can have.
Our treatment will:
- Help you avoid tooth and bone loss
- Eliminate bad breath and other unpleasant symptoms
- Keep gums from receding, causing sensitive teeth and other issues
- If caught in early stages, save you time and money
If your gums are tender or bleed when brushing, call Stephen K. Williams DDS & Associates at (812) 220-0636.
We Use Advanced Techniques to Restore Gums to Health
Gum disease is caused when bacteria gets in between your teeth and gums, causing gums to separate from your teeth. As your body fights the infection, it begins to destroy tissue and bone that keep your teeth in place. Killing bacteria in the earliest stage of the disease, called gingivitis, keeps it from progressing. A thorough dental cleaning may be enough to eliminate it at this stage.
If not, we use a deep cleaning treatment called scaling and root planing. The ultrasonic wand we use to remove bacteria and other harmful materials is quicker and more comfortable for you than using traditional tools – and it’s more effective. In addition, we may also use:
- Perio Protect® – We create custom-made trays that you use to apply special medication to your gums at home, in a treatment that takes just minutes a day. Not every dentist can provide this painless treatment, but Dr. Williams is a Premier Certified Perio Protect Provider.
- Arestin® – We place a special antibiotic in the “pockets” under the gum where bacteria accumulates, greatly reducing the chances the disease will progress. The time-released medicine in the Arestin works over the next three weeks, killing bacteria and helping your infected tissue to heal.
Prevent Gum Disease From Occurring
Once your gums are disease-free, you’ll want to keep them that way. To keep gum disease from recurring, our team will evaluate you for some common risk factors and help you deal with them. They include:
- Poor oral hygiene
- Irregular professional dental cleanings
- Smoking or chewing tobacco
- Certain medications
- Defective fillings
- Crooked teeth
- Systemic diseases
For effective gum disease treatment in Bicknell, IN, call (812) 220-0636.