Do you suffer from gum disease or lack of jaw bone integrity? Do you have receding gum line or a gummy smile? Are you missing teeth? If so, you may be a candidate for periodontics. And here at Southern Colorado Periodontics & Implants, we offer advanced periodontal care right here, in Colorado Springs. Our aim is to help restore your periodontal health and save your teeth.
Schedule your periodontics appointment today at SOCO Periodontics & Implants:
Keep reading to learn more about your options for periodontal care in Colorado Springs, CO …
Periodontics is the branch of dental health that focuses on the gums and jawbones. There are all sorts of periodontal treatments, ranging from preventative procedures to aesthetic procedures. To provide these treatments, a dentist needs years of extra training and practice.
The Ultimate Guide to Periodontics
The gums are an often overlooked part of dental health. However, they are essential to keeping your teeth strong. If you want to keep your gums in good shape, it can be helpful to consult with a periodontist. What is periodontics? Keep reading to learn all about it.
What Is Periodontics?
Periodontics focuses on the supporting structures of the teeth. This field specializes in preventing, diagnosing, and treating gum and jawbone disorders. It provides an essential service for patients. By helping to keep gums healthy, periodontists ensure that your teeth can stay firmly in place.
A periodontist can provide care when you are already dealing with gum disease. They can also help you prevent gum disease from happening in the first place. Most procedures focus on gingivitis and periodontitis. These inflammatory diseases affect the gums and gradually kill gum tissue.
However, periodontics can also involve other oral tissues. It can treat the jawbone and the roots of the teeth. This can restore damage caused by gum disease.
Types of Periodontal Treatments
There are a lot of different treatment types. To better understand periodontics, it can be helpful to learn a little about common procedures. These are some of the treatments you might encounter.
- Periodontal cleaning: Also called prophylaxis, this treatment removes bacteria before it worsens gum disease.
- Scaling and root planing: This removes bacteria and tartar below the surface of the gums.
- Pocket reduction surgery: If chronic inflammation led to pockets of loose gum tissue, a periodontist can tighten these pockets. This helps the gums hold onto the teeth better.
- Dental crown lengthening: This removes excess gum tissue. It helps teeth appear longer and larger.
- Soft tissue grafts: If your gums have receded a lot, grafts can restore lost tissue.
- Dental implant: In cases of tooth loss, your doctor can attach implants to the jawbone. This provides natural looking and feeling teeth.
- Gum Contouring: Your periodontist can change the shape (contouring) of your gums for a more aesthetic smile.
When Should You See a Periodontist?
Periodontics can help any time you are having a problem with your gums or jaw. Even if your issues are very minor, a periodontist can assist with prevention. Another thing they can help with is aesthetics. If you feel your gums are impacting your smile, a periodontist can help. Some reasons you might need periodontics include:
- Your gums are receding.
- You have swollen or red gums.
- You have a ‘gummy’ smile.
- Your breath smells bad constantly.
- You are missing one or more teeth.
- Your gums are sensitive to the touch.
- Your gums bleed easily.
- You feel uncomfortable with your current smile.
Average Costs for Periodontics
Since periodontics is such a broad field, there is no single treatment estimate. It really just depends on what care you get. For example, scaling and root planing costs around $200. Meanwhile, on a national average, a dental implant can cost around $4,000. For the typical treatment of gum disease, expect to pay somewhere from $500 to $3,000.
If you have dental insurance, your costs may be lower. Since periodontal disease is a serious health problem, insurance will cover it. Depending on your plan, this can mean your treatment is either free or cheaper. Your doctor might also have payment plans if you are worried about costs.
Benefits of Getting Periodontics Treatment
Periodontics have many benefits. Medical research has found that periodontal treatment is the most effective way of dealing with gum disease. In 95 percent of cases, treatment keeps gum disease from progressing further. More than half of patients were also able to significantly reduce their symptoms. Those who followed their doctor’s instructions for oral health care had even better outcomes.
Periodontic treatment has such a high success rate because it addresses the root causes of gum disease. All treatments help remove the bacteria and infected tissue that harm the gums. Periodontics can then address the consequences of gum disease by adding extra tissue or removing gum pockets. This helps create a healthier environment where teeth get the support they need.
At Southern Colorado Periodontics & Implants in Colorado Springs, we specialize in providing a full range of periodontic care. Our team is happy to help with everything from basic cleanings to full gum disease treatment and dental implants. Don’t delay on periodontic treatment. Prompt care at a state-of-the-art facility makes a huge difference. Learn more about all of our services by contacting us today.
