101-389 12th Street, Courtenay, BC

Gum Disease Therapy

Because of the seriousness of gum disease and its relationship to your overall health we have developed a comprehensive program to allow you the best results for gum health.

We want to see you on a regular basis to remove any deposits of plaque and tartar and treat any gum inflammation you might have. You haven’t lost any bone around your teeth, so we want to keep a close eye on things, monitor for signs of inflammation and maintain your healthy teeth and gums.
You have plaque and tartar on your teeth and under your gums. This plaque and tartar is full of bacteria, so it’s causing active gum infection. Your gums are puffy, red and bleeding. There’s even some suppuration building up in a couple of areas. Healthy gums are pink and do not bleed. It is most often painless but over time this infection dissolves the bone around your teeth. Eventually, your teeth get loose because the supporting bone is lost. The key to treating your gum infection is removing all of the plaque and tartar from above and below your gums. In order to do this properly, it’s going to take (4, for example) appointments. The first (3, for example) appointments should be no more than 7-14 days apart, followed by a (4th, for example) appointment, 6 weeks after the (3rd, for example). Once we have the infection resolved, we need to take steps to make sure it doesn’t return. We’ll closely monitor your gums for signs of new infection and make sure that we regularly remove all the plaque and tartar. It’s also critical that you are able to maintain things at home with regular brushing and flossing.
Once you have lost bone, it makes you susceptible to future infection and bone loss. As well, you want to make sure you maintain your bone at the current level. Your bone won’t grow back, but you don’t want to loose any more. We’ll need to keep a close eye on things and monitor for signs of re- infection. We will be looking for areas where your gums are puffy, red and bleeding. We’ll also be measuring the pockets between your gums and teeth so we can detect and treat any deep pockets before they lead to further bone loss. It takes 12 weeks for plaque and tarter to cause enough inflammation to dissolve bone, so if you want to prevent future bone loss we should see you every three months for your hygiene appointments.

Fluoride Treatment & Dental Sealant

These preventive treatments are usually recommended for children to limit tooth decay. However, adults can also request these procedures. Fluoride gel is applied topically a couple of times per year. Dental sealant is brushed onto the chewing surfaces of molars where tiny grooves in the enamel can’t be adequately cleaned by toothbrush bristles. Sealant generally lasts several years.
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