Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): Periodontal Treatment

Gingivitis is the mildest form of gum disease, and it can be cured with the help of your dentist. Routine preventive dental appointments help keep your teeth and gums healthy and disease-free. Your dentist checks for signs of developing harmful oral health conditions during each check-up, including gum disease. 

Though gingivitis is curable, the advanced stage of gum disease (periodontitis) is not. However, it can be treated and controlled. Ongoing periodontal disease must be carefully regulated with excellent oral hygiene and regularly scheduled dental cleanings. 

How to Prevent Gum Disease

To prevent gum disease, one must brush their teeth twice daily and floss at least once daily. Brushing and flossing remove plaque buildup and keeps the teeth and gums healthy.

It’s also vital to one’s sustained oral health to receive preventive dental exams and cleanings. 

Another tip for preventing gum disease is to lower your individual risk. Common risk factors include smoking and chewing tobacco and practicing poor oral hygiene.

Periodontal Treatment in Montgomery, IL

Your smile deserves the best, and we are here to assist you every step of the way. The lead dentists at Prairie Dental Care, Dr. Christine Wang and Dr. Xiaoyu Ma, can help you prevent gum disease or help you control the symptoms.

Our team speaks Cantonese, Mandarin, and Spanish to accommodate our patients. We serve North Aurora, Sugar Grove, Geneva, Batavia, Oswego, and Montgomery, IL. 

Dental professionals treat gum problems, including your English and Cantonese-speaking dentist in Aurora, IL. And at Prairie Dental Care, we concentrate on prevention, treatment, and maintenance.

Gum issues include problems like recession, gingivitis, and periodontal disease.

Gum recession without gingivitis or periodontal disease may result from brushing too hard or using the wrong toothbrush—hard bristled instead of soft.

Gingivitis is a precursor to gum disease and presents with periodontal infections. For your part, you may notice bleeding gums and recession. Your dentist can eradicate gingivitis and restore your gums to total health.

When gingivitis graduates to periodontal disease, the condition is merely treatable. However, with regular dental care and a new at-home routine, we can typically prevent tooth loss and other complications associated with gum disease, including:

• Heart health problems
• Lung health problems
• Pregnancy-related issues
• Alzheimer’s disease
• Rheumatoid arthritis

While we can treat gum disease and gum problems, our primary goal is prevention. You can substantially mitigate gum health risks by visiting your dentist twice yearly and brushing and flossing regularly.

We also recommend quitting smoking.

Looking for Gum Treatment in Aurora, IL?

If you’re diagnosed with gum disease, our team will support you every step of the way, offering gentle and compassionate treatment.

To get started, give us a call today.

Periodontal disease is a serious infection of the periodontal ligaments and tissues that support your teeth. Without treatment, periodontal disease typically leads to tooth loss and, in some cases, systemic health issues.

Gum Disease Treatment

Fortunately, periodontal treatment is designed to treat and improve periodontal disease and save your smile. With comprehensive periodontal treatment in Aurora, IL, our patients with gum disease have enjoyed improved oral health. Tooth loss is far less likely with treatment and compliance.

Compliance means you follow guidelines put forward by your dentist to treat your condition. This may include specialized teeth cleanings and gum treatments in conjunction with an optimal oral health routine at home.

If you have early periodontal disease—gingivitis—this is often reversible as opposed to only treatable.

To lower your risks for periodontal disease, we recommend visiting your dentist twice yearly for exams and teeth cleanings. You should also brush and floss your teeth at least two times each day.

If you have periodontal disease, you are not alone. Our team will rally to help improve your oral health and your peace of mind.

Contact Our Dental Team for Periodontal Treatment in Aurora

If you notice a bad taste in your mouth, bleeding gums, or an elongated appearance to your teeth, you should be evaluated in our dental office. Call today to schedule.

If you do a great job of staying current on your dental exams and dental cleanings, you’re probably used to the “standard” cleaning that your hygienist performs. This dental cleaning typically lasts about 30 minutes and doesn’t require anesthesia or special follow-up care.

These standard teeth cleanings are the norm for most patients, and the odds are they are the only type of cleaning you’ve ever had. For some patients, however, this treatment is not enough. If you find yourself with inflamed gums or other periodontal disease signs, it may be time for a deep dental cleaning. 

Deep Cleaning Process

These deep cleanings, also known as “scaling and root planing,” involve your dental team thoroughly cleaning the tooth surface underneath the gum line. Deep cleanings become necessary when a buildup of tartar gets beneath your gums and causes painful and dangerous swelling or infection. 

During a deep cleaning, your Aurora, IL dentist or dental hygienist will numb the section(s) of your mouth they are working on before using special instruments to remove all traces of plaque and calculus from your teeth.

Then, they will smooth your tooth roots’ surfaces to help restore your smile to good health. Your dentist may request that you come back for follow-up cleanings soon, and they may also choose to prescribe a round of antibiotics to discourage bacterial growth or infections while your mouth heals.

Contact Our Aurora Dental Office

If you need to schedule a dental exam and dental cleaning, our dental office is open on Saturdays for your convenience! We also have treatment staff members on site who speak Spanish, Cantonese, and Mandarin.

Periodontal disease, also known as gum disease or periodontitis, is a gum infection that damages soft tissue. Without treatment, periodontal disease can ruin the bone that supports your teeth, called the alveolar bone.

What Is Gum Disease?

Periodontitis can be painful and make teeth mobile, resulting in tooth loss. Gingivitis is the mildest stage of gum disease and can be reversed with excellent oral hygiene and professional dental cleanings. 

Ongoing gum inflammation causes pockets to develop between the teeth and gums. Plaque and bacteria collect in these pockets and lead to deep infections, loss of bone and tissues, and other health concerns.

What Are the Symptoms of Gum Disease?

Healthy gums are pale pink, firm, and fit snugly around the teeth. Common signs and symptoms associated with periodontitis include:

• Swollen or puffy gums
• Bright red or darkening gums 
• Tender gums 
• Bleeding gums 
• Chronic bad breath 
• Loose teeth or tooth loss 
• Painful chewing 
• Bumps on the gums 
• Gum recession 
• An altered bite

What Causes Gum Disease?

The most common cause of periodontal disease is plaque buildup. Brushing twice a day and flossing once a day can help remove the plaque. 

If plaque stays on the teeth, it hardens under the gumline (tartar) and irritates the gums.

Other risk factors are:

• Genetics 
• Crooked teeth 
• Nutritional deficiencies
• Prescription medications 
• Hormonal changes 
• Smoking and chewing tobacco 

Contact us today to schedule your preventive dental appointment with Dr. Christine Wang or Dr. Xiaoyu Ma. We speak Cantonese, Mandarin, and Spanish. 

Prairie Dental Care proudly serves patients from North Aurora, Sugar Grove, Geneva, Batavia, Oswego, and Montgomery, IL. 

We recommend deep cleanings when tartar collects deep beneath your gum line and causes an infection, irritation, or swelling. This typically occurs due to poor home care or missed dental cleanings, and it may be worse for patients with a poor diet. We know that patients all have different access to have dentistry, and no matter what your current oral health status is, our team at Prairie Dental Care will help you get back on track to healthy teeth and gums.

What to Expect From a Deep Cleaning

A deep dental cleaning addresses areas where brushing, flossing, and even a regular dental cleaning cannot reach. Because tartar calcifies on your enamel, removing it requires a special type of dental cleaning, advanced techniques, and sometimes medications to improve your oral health. When tartar is allowed to remain in place, the result is the accumulation of more tartar that attaches deeper to the root surface and causes chronic inflammation of the gum tissue.

Gum Disease Treatment in 60506

Advanced gum disease often takes many years to progress to the point where you suffer tooth loss, but it can affect other aspects of your overall health, such as heart health and diabetes. Gum disease during pregnancy is associated with low birth weight in babies. The end result is a loss of the bone that surrounds your teeth, loosening of your teeth, and lost teeth. Tooth loss leads to many other oral health problems including a misaligned bite and ongoing tooth loss.