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If you see a bit of blood on your toothbrush once you’re done using it, don’t ignore it! Instead, check your gums for signs of swelling and call Fantastic Smiles to schedule an appointment. During your visit, Dr. Marable can complete a comprehensive oral exam and determine if you’d benefit from gum disease treatment in Fort Valley, GA. If you are interested in learning more about this restorative service in the meantime, read on!
Since roughly 50% of American adults have gum disease, there’s a good chance that you’ve heard of it. But what is it? In short, in its most mild form (gingivitis), only the gum tissue itself is infected. If left alone to progress, however, the infection can eat away at the bone and connective tissue holding your teeth in place, resulting in everything from chronic bad breath to tooth loss. That’s why we recommend reaching out to us when you first notice that something is wrong.
Between your biannual checkups, we recommend keeping an eye out for common warning signs of gum disease, including:
During your visit, we will complete a comprehensive oral exam to determine if you have gum disease and, if you do, how severe your case is. From there, we can discuss your treatment options, including scaling and root planing. You can learn more about each below, but don’t hesitate to give us a call if you have any questions or are ready to schedule an appointment.
As you can probably guess, when treating gum disease, our top priority is to remove the bacteria that is causing the infection in the first place. This is done through scaling, which involves cleaning the teeth, the gums, and the area beneath the gum line. After scaling is complete, it is time for root planing. By smoothing the roots of the teeth, we create a surface that the gums can reattach to more easily. Also, it is more difficult for bacteria to build up on roots that have been smoothed.
It’s important to keep your mouth as clean as possible after scaling and root planing. The problem is that it’s easy for infectious materials to become trapped in the pockets that form during gum disease. To continuously fight the infection in these areas, we can place an antibiotic called Arestin. It consists of numerous microspheres that slowly release the medication over time, thus fighting bacteria while your mouth is healing.