In the past, gum disease treatment often necessitated an invasive surgical procedure to remove any diseased gum tissue. However, with modern technology, patients can choose more conservative interventions. Furthermore, some of the advanced tools can be helpful in diagnosing the condition and determining what treatment will be appropriate.
Additionally, if the patient experiences tooth loss as a result of advanced gum disease, they have access to structurally complete replacements in dental implants. Not only does that technology alone represent significant progress over earlier generations of tooth replacement methods, but the software used in planning this treatment produces remarkably lifelike images.
When you show symptoms of gum disease, your periodontist will begin by examining your gums, which may involve some imaging in addition to a visual inspection. Three-dimensional imaging with cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) provides realistic images of your soft and hard oral tissues, which can be invaluable in treatment planning. It’s much easier to predict the outcome of interventions accurately when one can anticipate it based on a three-dimensional model rather than a series of two-dimensional images.
If your periodontist determines that some treatment beyond a thorough cleaning is needed, technology can come into play again. For example, guided tissue regeneration can help to restore structural support for the teeth after the removal of diseased gum tissue. State-of-the-art materials like enamel matrix proteins or other biocompatible materials can guide the growth of new, healthy tissue at the site of gum disease.
Surgical instruments and techniques, such as Ellman radiosurgery and Piezosurgery, offer patients the option for less invasive procedures with shorter recovery times.
Even deep cleanings of pockets in the gum, to remove bacteria, can be made more comfortable for the patient with the Cavitron, an ultrasonic device used for scaling.
Advanced technology can enhance your gum disease treatment tremendously, and the information above touches on just a handful of the options used in our practice. Call our team at PerioNYC to learn more about the tools we incorporate into gum disease treatment and how they can benefit you.
