Specialist Periodontics in Leicester

with Mr Naveen Karir (GDC Registered Specialist in Periodontology)

What is Periodontal (Gum) Disease?

Periodontal (gum) disease affects most adults in the UK to some degree and can affect some children. It is triggered by bacteria within dental plaque (the yellow/creamy) sticky material which gathers on your teeth) and causes the gums to become swollen and bleed.
If the bacteria are not cleaned away regularly then the gums and bone around the teeth can be destroyed causing the gums to recede and the teeth to become loose. If the disease is untreated then your teeth can be lost as a result of the disease process.

Why do I need Periodontal (Gum) treatment?

As gum disease progresses you could experience some of the following symptoms:
  • – Bleeding gums
  • – Bad breath
  • – Pain in the gums
  • – Infection (abscess) of the gums
  • – Loose teeth

 If dental treatment is not carried out for you then there is a high chance that teeth will be lost as the disease progresses.

What is involved in Periodontal (Gum) treatment?

The treatment is initially aimed to stabilise the gum disease process and to stop the supporting structures (gums and bone) around the teeth from being destroyed). Typically, the initial treatment is carried out in the following way:

1 – Initial consultation and measurements around your teeth
2 – Special investigations such as x-rays
3 – Discussion of your disease stage and treatment plan
4 – Providing you with a bespoke oral hygiene plan for you to carry out at home
5 – Initial phase cleaning of the teeth and gums (with local anaesthetic)
6 – Assessment after 8-12 weeks to measure initial response

Will I experience any pain?

Treatment with Mr Naveen Karir is focussed on giving you the best possible outcome in the most comfortable way. The vast majority of Periodontal treatment procedures are carried out with very little, if any discomfort. Often our patients report back to us that the process or healing was no where near as painful as they expected!

Will I need further treatment after deep cleaning?

Following your initial phase of gum treatment (deep cleaning) your gums will be assessed to check your initial response. The measurements will be compared before and after treatment and discussed with you to agree the next steps.

These could be:

1 – Advice on your personalised maintenance regime with our dental hygienist
2 – Further deep cleaning to help stabilise the gum disease
3 – Advice on the need for any surgical procedures that may be required to help stabilise your gum disease

Why would I need any surgery to stabilise my gum disease?

In order to increase the chance of stabilising your gum disease you may be advised to have one or more surgical procedures carried out. The aim of the surgery is to enable you to access all the areas around your teeth in order to clean them on a daily basis. Therefore the gums and sometimes the bone may need to be re-contoured to allow you to do this.

Other surgical procedures also include:

  • – Surgery to regrow the bone around your teeth.
  • – Surgery to repair gum recession defects
  • – Surgery to thicken your gum tissues

How can I improve the chance of stabilising my gum disease?

Fortunately, there are things that you can start doing immediately to improve your chance of stabilising your gum disease. Brushing your teeth twice daily and using cleaning aids in between your teeth (interdental brushes, floss etc.) will help to reduce the amount of dental plaque around your teeth and therefore slow the disease process down.

Smoking is strongly associated with gum disease and will also significantly reduce the effectiveness of any treatment. Attending a stop smoking clinic has proven to be the most effective way of quitting smoking and is strongly advised.

There are other important factors include:

1 – Stabilising medical conditions such as Diabetes, Cardiovascular (Heart and blood vessel) disease, Chronic Kidney Disease and Rheumatoid Arthritis.

2 – Maintaining a healthy balanced diet

3 – Reducing your stress levels

4 – Attending a dental hygienist for regular cleans and maintenance.

Can I cure my gum disease?

Unfortunately gum disease cannot be fully cured, but the disease progression can be slowed down significantly and stabilised. Treatment is aimed to prolong the life of the teeth for as long as possible and is very effective in most cases.

How much will the treatment cost?

“The staff at SCDC are nothing but brilliant and very caring. The principal dentist is just amazing, very knowledgeable, kind and caring with their patients. They provide service with utter humbleness and kindness and is very professional with what they do. I would strongly recommend this practice to anyone.”

Jay Modha

Patient

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