Gum Disease Treatment – West Orange, NJ

What is Gum Disease?

According to the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, 2 in 5 adults are affected by some form of gum disease. In the early stages, the symptoms associated with this infection are relatively minor, such as swelling and sensitivity. However, if it’s left alone to progress, it can lead to severe consequences, including tooth loss. That’s why it’s so important to visit our team at D & G Dental of West Orange every six months for a checkup (or sooner, if you suspect that you may have gum disease).

Symptoms of Gum Disease

Here are a few common warning signs of gum disease:

• Bleeding gums
• Red, swollen, or tender gums
• Bad breath
• Loosening or separating teeth

Other symptoms (such as pus forming along the gumline) don’t generally occur until much later in the disease. If this occurs, visit us at D&G Dental of West Orange to find out more about your gum health.

How Do We Treat Gum Disease?

If we determine that there is an active infection in your gums, then we will move on to the next step of the process: reviewing your treatment options. You can learn a little more about the different solutions that we offer below, starting with scaling and root planing.

Scaling & Root Planing

For those suffering with gum disease, a two-step treatment called scaling and root planing is sometimes recommended. If we don’t treat gum disease early enough, patients may end up losing teeth, which will lead to the significant time and expense of reconstructive treatment. Our gum disease treatment includes deep cleaning along and below the gum line through a process that’s known as scaling. Once the area has been cleaned, we’ll plane the tooth roots as well, smoothing them out so bacteria can’t take hold as easily.

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Initial Dental Implant Consultation

Your initial dental implant consultation will consist of our team using cone beam technology to capture a 3D image of your oral cavity and facial structure. Using this state-of-the-art equipment will allow us to view nerves, bones, sinuses, and other structures and better plan for your implant placement. Should we discover that your jawbone is not strong enough or your gums show signs of infection, you may be required to undergo preliminary treatments like periodontal therapy or bone grafting to better prepare your smile for dental implant placement.

Dental Implant Surgery

The process of having your dental implants surgically placed will occur right here in our West Orange dental office. This means you can plan to receive the same great care from the individuals who have been with you from the start. Your implant dentist in West Orange will use a laser-guided computerized system to place your dental implants, offering greater accuracy and precision. We can avoid altering or bothering nearby healthy teeth and surrounding tissues. Depending on how many teeth you need to have replaced, we will insert one or more implants into their designated areas before closing the gum tissue and sending you home to recover.

Dental Implant Osseointegration/Abutment

While at home, you will spend 3-6 months allowing your tissues, bone, and implants to heal. Osseointegration must be successful in order for your implants to remain firmly in place. This means they must fuse with the bone and tissues to create a solid foundation for your customized restoration. Throughout your time at home, you will need to follow our instructions to ensure you heal properly. Once we are satisfied with the progress, you will return to have your metal abutments, which are connector pieces, attached to the tops of your dental implants in West Orange.

Delivery of Dental Implant Restorations

The last phase of treatment involves receiving your customized restoration. Because dental implants are extremely versatile, they allow you to receive a dental crown, implant bridge, or implant denture. Ultimately, the number of teeth that are missing will dictate the type of restoration you will need. Once secured into place, your new and improved smile will look and feel completely natural and function just like your regular, healthy teeth.

Antibiotic Treatment

After an initial periodontal cleaning, we may choose to apply slow-release antibiotic medication within the pockets of the gums, called Arestin. Over the course of two weeks, small microspheres will gradually release the medication to target the source of the bacteria within the gum pockets. This will enable the powerful medicine to reach and kill any remaining bacteria still hidden deep beneath the gums. Once this process is over, a patient should come in for regular dental cleanings more often to ensure that the infection doesn’t come back.

Gum Grafting

Gum recession is a common issue among patients, and it can occur for a number of reasons, including the presence of periodontal disease, brushing technique, bruxism, and simple genetics. At D&G Dental of West Orange, Dr. Dawoud can correct the placement of your gums and recreate your symmetrically beautiful smile. This revolutionary service doesn’t involve any cutting or grafting – instead, a very small opening will be created with a pointed tool so that the soft tissue can be slid down and adjusted into the proper position over the roots.

Our team won’t need to use a scalpel for incisions or sutures afterwards – in fact, patients shouldn’t experience any bleeding or discomfort in general. The results will be visible right away, and the recovery period is usually much shorter and simpler. Contact our dental office today to schedule your first appointment!