While the idea of using lasers for dental treatment may seem odd, this approach provides many benefits that you can certainly appreciate. Our Encinitas/San Diego periodontal practice can use laser treatment to help patients who are struggling with the effects of gum disease. The LANAP protocol relies on the incredible accuracy of lasers to address the bacteria that have accumulated on the attachments keeping your teeth stable. This modern procedure can help you recover from the effects of an infection, and make you less likely to need surgical treatment to protect your smile. This is one of many specialized periodontal services we are ready to offer our patients. (more…)
What Does Periodontal Treatment Mean for You?
Periodontal disease, often referred to as gum disease, is one of the most common conditions that can affect your oral and periodontal health. Like tooth decay, it’s a product of excessive oral bacteria gathering and forming dental plaque. In the case of gum disease, however, these bacteria prefer to work their underneath your gums and infect the soft tissues, rather than focusing on your healthy tooth structure. At our Encinitas/San Diego periodontal office, we can help you treat your periodontal disease according to its severity. That may mean boosting your preventive efforts to lower your risks of it, or actively rebuilding severely damaged gum tissues. (more…)
Things You Should Ask About Getting Dental Implants
For patients who’ve lost teeth, dental implants are often the best option for replacing them. That’s because dental implant posts are the only way to replace your lost teeth roots and, therefore, the vital functions that they’re responsible for. With the help of dental implants, your custom-made dental bridge or denture will more closely mimic the healthy, natural structures of your teeth. At our Encinitas/San Diego periodontist’s office, we often recommend dental implants to help patients more successfully rebuild their smiles following tooth loss. (more…)
How Periodontal Disease Can Affect the Rest of Your Body
When you develop periodontal disease (more commonly known as gum disease), there are several things that you immediately have to consider. For example, how severe is it, and how extensive will your treatment need to be in order to control it? In addition, your periodontist will discuss several lesser known but equally important considerations about your gum disease, such as how it can impact your overall health, any current medical conditions you have, or medications you’re currently taking. Not only can these considerations affect your periodontal treatment; they can also become worse under the influence of gum disease if you don’t treat it as soon as possible. (more…)
Should You Worry About Gum Recession?
The periodontal (gum) tissue that surrounds and protects your dental ridges and teeth roots is more important than many people realize. For example, your gums help keep your teeth securely in place within your jawbone, and they help stop oral bacteria from affecting your teeth roots. When this tissue begins to recede from your teeth – a condition known as gum recession – it can often be a warning that you should visit your periodontist for expert care. At our Encinitas/San Diego periodontal office, we can pinpoint the specific cause behind your gum recession and recommend an appropriate treatment plan to stop it. (more…)
3 Things to Worry About if You Have Periodontal Disease
If you don’t have gum disease – or, at least, don’t know yet that you do – then the condition might not seem too worrisome right now. However, allowing gum disease to develop and progress can leave your smile open to several different dangers. It can also have an increasingly stronger influence on your systemic well-being if not treated and managed properly. At our Encinitas/San Diego periodontal office, we can help you worry less about periodontal disease and its potential consequences by customizing an appropriate periodontal treatment and management plan. (more…)
How to Remove the Oral Bacteria that Cause Gum Disease
Because everyone’s oral health is unique, your specific risks for things like periodontal (gum) disease may be different than others. However, the main cause of the disease itself is the excessive buildup of harmful oral bacteria underneath your gums. Therefore, preventing or treating gum disease at our Encinitas/San Diego periodontal office typically involves eliminating the threat of oral bacteria by carefully removing them and protecting your gums from their influence. (more…)
Think You Might Have Gingivitis? Here’s How to Know
Gingivitis – the first stage of gum disease – is common. In fact, more than 80 percent of adults have gum disease to some extent, and every case began with the formation of gingivitis. While most people know what gingivitis, they may not always realize they have it, which means they don’t seek treatment for it until the condition becomes more severe. At our Encinitas/San Diego periodontal office, recognizing and treating gingivitis as early as possible is an important way for us to help you protect your smile from the potentially devastating effects of more severe gum disease. (more…)
Why Are Dental Implants the Best Replacements for Lost Teeth?
After carefully researching all of your options for replacing your lost tooth or teeth, you learn more than you originally expected about why dental implants may be your best option. However, you may not fully appreciate the reasons why until well after you’ve had your dental implants placed. At our Encinitas/San Diego periodontal office, we often recommend placing one or more dental implants to support a custom dental crown, bridge, or denture (depending on how many teeth you’ve lost) for many different reasons. Today, we explore those reasons and why dental implants are likely your best option. (more…)
A Few Fine Points About Platelet-Rich Periodontal Therapy
There are several aspects to treating periodontal disease. For example, the only way to stop the disease’s progression and allow your gums to heal is to remove the harmful oral bacteria that have accumulated underneath your gum tissues. This process, known as scaling and root planing (or periodontal cleaning) may be the full extent of your treatment, or it may just be the first step, depending on the severity of your gum disease. For many patients at our Encinitas/San Diego periodontal office, the use of platelet-rich plasma and fibrin helps optimize periodontal treatment and maintenance in several ways. (more…)