When matters related to dental infections are concerned, your primary dentist is your first line of defense for prevention and treatment. However, some cases may require assistance from a specialist for personalized treatment for well-being.
For example, if you have gum disease in its initial stages called gingivitis, your regular dentist can successfully eliminate plaque and tartar deposits and provide oral hygiene instructions to benefit your dental health, but the situation might require help from a specialist in gums if you have periodontal gum disease.
Periodontal gum disease is an advanced version of gingivitis that, if left untreated, can worsen and leave you with a severe problem on your hands that might even age you prematurely by causing tooth loss. Therefore, your dentist will suggest you see a specialist in gums called a periodontist, a dentist with skills and knowledge essential to deal with a severe infection. You receive a referral from your dentist after undergoing treatment for periodontal disease for some time if your condition hasn’t improved. Several factors might justify the referral, such as the severity of the infection affecting you.
All dentists receive training to perform basic procedures related to gum disease, especially dental plaque and hardened tartar removal responsible for gum infections. However, if your condition has worsened to create pockets between your teeth and gums, filling them with bacteria, you find it beneficial to seek help from a specialist with superior techniques and tools to manage the condition.
When you see a professional specializing in gum disease treatment near me, you receive access to advanced cleaning depending on the severity of the infection in your mouth. You might think the biannual cleanings at your dentist’s office are no different from a periodontal cleaning provided by the specialist. However, you might require more frequent deep cleanings to reduce the risk of infections occurring. In addition, a gum disease specialist ensures and helps you with information to create an efficient and daily oral health plan that best suits your needs.
Gum disease symptoms vary between patients and the severity of the condition affecting them. If you have gingivitis in its initial stages, you might find your gums swollen or puffy, bright red, dusky red or purplish, and tender when touched. You might have bleeding gums and notice a pink-tinged toothbrush after brushing and spit blood after brushing and flossing your teeth.
Besides the above, you might also get affected by lousy breath, pus between your teeth and gums, painful chewing, new spaces developing between your teeth and gums, and receding gums making your teeth appear more prominent, besides changes in the fitting of your teeth when biting. If your condition has worsened, you need help from a specialist; you might also have loose teeth or loss of teeth.
While you can follow your dentist’s recommendation for regular checkups if you notice the symptoms mentioned above, you must ensure you arrange an appointment with your dentist immediately, seeking a referral to the Port Hueneme dentist, a specialist in treating periodontal disease.
Your regular dentist will, in every likelihood, provide a referral to a specialist if you have advanced periodontal disease. How you want to search by yourself to understand why you must seek help from a specialist browsing the Internet for a periodontist near you is suggested. You can also look for how a periodontist helps care for the gum infection and your overall health during browsing.
Specialists treating gum disease receive additional training after completing four years of dental school and specialize in preventing, diagnosing, and treating periodontal disease to ensure the condition doesn’t affect your overall health impacting your mouth because of improper dental hygiene practices.
Periodontists are specialists who know that some conditions like diabetes, pregnancy, and cardiovascular disease can affect the health of your gums. These conditions are associated with inflammation, a chronic symptom of gum disease-causing reduced tissue healing. The skills of the periodontist in treating gums help them make a treatment plan that best suits your needs after considering all factors.
If you have lost teeth because of periodontal disease, the specialist can also help prepare for restorations with dental implants if required or suggest to other specialists for alternative restorative options. They can also fix and restore gum tissue to enhance appearance by providing surgical procedures like gum grafting and bone grafting if the condition has deteriorated your jawbone.
If you have the symptoms of periodontal disease, you can confidently consult All Care Dental by the Sea for relief from a severe infection that might remain with you for life if left untreated. This practice specializing in periodontal treatment helps manage the condition by creating a treatment plan that best suits your needs.