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Ideally, jaw bones and gum tissue should fit tightly together. A good analogy would be the snug fit of a turtleneck sweater around the human neck. However, periodontal disease can destroy supporting tissue and bone if not caught quickly enough. This supporting tissue is vital to keeping the gumline snug and tight with the bone: but if it is diminished, pockets will form around the teeth.
This does not happen all at once, however, so there is hope. Periodontal disease occurs in stages. These stages are gingivitis (an early and reversible condition), mild Periodontitis, moderate Periodontitis, and severe Periodontitis.
Periodontal pockets begin to develop during mild Periodontitis. They become progressively deeper as gum disease progresses. As they increase in size, bacteria have more space to breed and thrive. As they begin to accumulate, they advance beneath the gum tissue and begin attacking the deeper tissues beneath the skin. Eventually the bacteria become so prevalent and strong they begin to attack the bone as well.
People find it hard to believe that bacteria can eat away at bone like this, but they can. Even worse, bone loss will eventually cause tooth loss. This is because the teeth become so loose in a diminishing jaw line that they cannot function properly and will experience sensitivity and pain when exposed to hot and cold, and when any amount of normal bite pressure is applied.
Once this happens, the teeth will need to be extracted, and replacing them with a bridge or dental will be very expensive. Most people opt for cheaper dentures, but these never really do the job as well as more advanced tooth replacements.
Fortunately, our team of cosmetic dentists at the Medical Center Dental Group can do a lot for patients who are facing the apparent inevitability of tooth extraction. In fact, our cosmetic dentists routinely retain teeth that a lot of dentists may otherwise extract. We are able to do this because of ultra-sophisticated laser technology, and a procedure known as LANAP that has done as much for dentistry as LASIK has done for eye surgery.
LANAP saves as much healthy tissue as possible and is much more sterile than surgery with knives. It also maximizes patient healing time and thereby creates more opportunity for periodontal pockets to heal on their own.
LANAP not only cuts away tissue, but it also addresses the problem of periodontal pockets. A calibrated probe called a periodontal probe is used to measure the depth of the pocket, and this information then enables the cosmetic dentist to better apply the laser for maximum treatment of gum disease.
In the event that we do have to extract teeth, and assuming the worst case scenario of major bone loss, we can still do full mouth reconstructions for patients with Periodontitis. By using natural teeth in combination with dental implants we can help keep a patient from losing all of their teeth and having to resort to the unpleasant use of dentures.
There is nothing that can replace the feel and function of your natural teeth.Labels: LANAP, periodontal pocket, periodontal surgery
 Crown lengthening is used to correct a condition called a gummy smile which occurs when teeth appear to be too small or too short. This condition can be the result of several things. Periodontal disease can cause excess gum tissue to overlap teeth and make them look much smaller than they are. If a tooth was previously filled with primitive amalgam fillings or capped with a gold crown, it can decay and lose significant surface area without the person even knowing this. When the cap or filling falls out, what remains of the tooth appears to retreat into the gum line. Also, teeth can break off right at the gums and appear to be completely missing.
Most dentists in past decades would have pulled these teeth. This is not so today. Crown lengthening enables dentists today to save and completely restore these teeth with a simple surgical procedure.  The surgery can be performed with traditional instruments, or with the PerioLase® MVP-7 laser used in LANAP. The choice of surgical tools depends on factors that from the patient’s medical history, the presence of gum disease, and whether or not the tooth itself has been subject to decay or severe impact. The dentist will make this decision, take x-rays of the mouth, and then commence with the surgery.The surgery itself is a simple procedure performed under local anesthetic to kill the pain. The dentist makes small incisions in the gums and pulls them back. Excess gum and bone tissue is then reshaped until the desired amount of tooth surface is exposed. The dentist then replaces and stitches the gums with tiny sutures.  After a prescribed healing time, the stitches are removed and the tooth is covered with a porcelain crown. This cosmetic dental crown will provide a hard chewing surface that will allow the person to eat a normal diet, and it will prevent further tooth decay from occurring underneath its surface.  Crown lengthening offers a good many benefits that make it a very popular treatment here at the Medical Center Dental Group. It can improve periodontal health by being one of several steps taken in the treatment of gum disease. Porcelain dental crowns serve as a buffer against excessive and unhealthy gum growth by providing a solid, uniform surface gums can attach themselves too. This procedure has proven highly effective in saving teeth that would have otherwise had to have been pulled. On a purely subjective level, crown lengthening also lays the foundation for advanced cosmetic dental work that allows the patient to also eat a normal diet without fear of damaging their teeth. For more information on related topics, visit the following links on our main website: Labels: cosmetic dental crowns, crown lengthening, gummy smile, periodontal surgery, periodontal treatment, porcelain crowns
Dentists estimate that more that 80 percent of the American population has a form of gum disease. However, it is also estimated that only 3% of these people ever seek professional help. Many people assume that gum disease is really not big deal. In reality, there are a number of complications it can lead to that are very severe, or even possibly life threatening.
- The bacteria that cause gum disease can get into the blood and infect internal organs. This can increase the risk of coronary disease, stroke, and infective endocartitis.
- Breathing these bacteria can affect the lungs and cause diseases like obstructive pulmonary disease and emphysema.
- These bacteria can also affect increase production of prostaglandins (hormones that trigger labor) in pregnant women, leading to premature birth.
There are several stages of gum disease, each being more severe than the other. The sooner you get help, the easier Periodontitis is to treat.
Gingivitis
This first stage of gum disease, characterized by gums that are inflamed, red in color, and that frequently bleed. This stage is completely reversible, and presents no risk of bone loss, if it is caught in time.
Mild Periodontitis
At this stage of gum disease, tissues begin to separate from teeth, resulting in gum recession and deep pockets characterized by probing depths of 3-4 mm.
Moderate Periodontitis
This next phase of gum disease is more severe, and can result in bone loss between 4-6mm. Bad breath, loose teeth, and sore gums also appear at this point. Moderate Periodontitis is irreversible with hygiene alone, but it can still be managed.
Advanced Periodontitis
Deep pockets at this stage of gum disease can be 6mm or more in depth and can only be treated by surgery or LANAP.
Refractory Periodontitis
Bone loss and impending tooth loss are inevitable at this point. However, even this stage of Periodontitis can be reversed with cosmetic dentistry. Tooth splints can be used, and some teeth can be extracted and replaced with bridges. Selective teeth can be extracted if need be and replaced with bridges. The best option, however, is a combination of LANAP (also known as Laser Periodontal Therapy) and cosmetic dental implants. LANAP is less invasive than previously preferred forms of surgery, and offers the benefits of speedier recovery time and less damage to healthy tissues.
LANAP
Laser Periodontal Therapy
PerioLase Laser Treatment
LANAP Post Operative Instructions
Gum disease is nothing to take lightly. If you have any of the symptoms described above, you should call our office and schedule an appointment as soon as possible. If we can catch Periodontitis soon enough, only minimal treatment will be needed to restore a bright and healthy smile to you. Labels: Gum Disease, LANAP, laser assisted new attachment procedure, laser periodontal therapy, periodontal surgery, periodontal treatment
LANAP is a minimally invasive periodontal surgery whose potential simply cannot be emphasized enough. While it is far less intense than other surgical methods, it has its share of postoperative instructions like every other major dental procedure. Following these postoperative instructions faithfully will minimize your comfort and contribute to a full and speedy recovery during the days and weeks that follow LANAP.
1. Minimize activity after LANAP.
2. Rinse as directed with Peridex. Periogard and warm salt water every day. Ask your dentist for specific instructions on how many times to do so.
3. Do not chew on the side of your mouth where you have had LANAP performed.
4. Avoid hot and spicy foods during the postoperative period following LANAP.
5. During the immediate postoperative period, avoid brushing the area where LANAP was performed.
6. The following conditions are normal during postoperative recovery from Laser Periodontal Therapy: - Light bleeding
- Slight swelling
- Minor soreness
7. If the surgical pack the dentist uses to treat your gum line with falls out, do not be alarmed.
8. Soft and nutritious foods, and particularly high protein foods, are the best diet to eat during this time.
9. Take all your medication that the dentist may give you as proscribed and in the full dosage instructed.
10. It is normal for teeth to be sore during the postoperative stage following LANAP. This occurs because previously loose teeth are now reattaching themselves to the gums and bones.
11. Very intense pain, fever, or severe bleeding is NOT normal after LANAP. Call us immediately if you experience either one of these. LANAP
Laser Periodontal Therapy
PerioLase Laser Treatment
Gum Disease The Cosmetic Dentistry Center recommends the quick and relatively painless LANAP procedure for busy Houston area professionals. Both the procedure and the recovery time take much less time than standard surgery takes. We routinely service business owners and executives from Sugar Land, The Woodlands, Clear Lake, Katy, and from other cities like Austin, Dallas, and San Antonio. Call 713.795.5905 today for an appointment. Labels: LANAP, laser assisted new attachment procedure, laser periodontal therapy, ND: YAG laser, periodontal surgery
Dental fillings are some of the most common treatments used in general dentistry.
If left to itself, tooth decay can destroy a whole tooth. Generally, a dentist will fill the tooth when 50 percent of it has been destroyed. Traditionally, silver-mercury amalgam fillings were used for this purpose, but this practice is rapidly declining. This is because silver-mercury amalgams are made from metal, and any kind of metal will expand and contract when exposed to extremes of heat or cold. This in turn puts a strain on the tooth that carries the filling, and the tooth can either crack from this strain, or become infected by bacteria that enter under the filling.
It is becoming more and more of a general consensus throughout all dental specialties that there are much better materials for filling teeth. Composite materials made from certain types of resin, for example, can now be custom-made to mimic the teeth, or they can be made to whiten the teeth.ort and strength. Whereas a filling will weaken a tooth over a period of time by as much as 50 percent, a composite filling made from resin or porcelain can actually strengthen a tooth up to 75 percent.
There are also a number of treatments that can now replace the old silver-mercury amalgams previously used in general dentistry.
Dental Crowns
Dental crowns act like caps over teeth. This is why they are sometimes called caps. Crowning a cracked tooth keeps it from fracturing completely, because it actually creates an entirely new surface area for an entirely new surface area for the tooth. Crowns in the past were sometimes made of gold. Gold is soft and clashes with the color of natural teeth. Cosmetic Dentists these days use exclusively porcelain dental crowns. This is because porcelain is very hard and nonporous, and also because porcelain mimics the translucence of natural tooth enamel.
Porcelain crowns are formed in a mold of the individual teeth of the patient, and frequently look better than the original teeth when they are installed.
Cosmetic Dental Inlays and Onlays
Like dental crowns, inlays are made from porcelain. However, they do not cover the entire tooth surface, but instead fit over the cusp (tip) of the tooth. Dentists use porcelain that is colored to mimic the existing color of teeth so the inlays will go unnoticed. To give the best possible fit, the dentist creates a temporary inlay, and then takes an impression which is used to cast the permanent, porcelain inlay. The dentist bonds it to the tooth and polishes it to create a cosmetic, natural, and healthy-looking appearance.
Onlays resemble inlays, but they are used for more substantial reconstructions. Often onlays are used to repair the damaged portion of a tooth in lieu of capping the tooth with a crown.
Root canals
General dentistry practices have long relied upon the root canal as the best strategy for saving a tooth that is badly infected and whose root is dying. In the inner pulp of a tooth, all the blood vessel canals and nerves connect to the root. If this area becomes infected, the root and surrounding tissue begins to die, General dentists long ago realized that removing diseased pulp and thorough disinfection of the pulp chamber and the canals that connect it to the bloodstream and nervous system.
Even the tooth is technically dead, its normal chewing function and cosmetic appearance can be saved through this procedure. This practice is used in both cosmetic and general dentistry in order to avoid tooth extraction.
Although general dentistry abound throughout Houston and all of Texas, why not get these procedures done here at the Cosmetic Dentistry Center in the Medical Center? Not only will you get fantastic medical care, but a more attractive smile at the end of the day.
Even better, the sophisticated technology we use for many otherwise very painful general dentistry procedures (such as periodontal treatments) makes treatment here much more relaxed and painless.Labels: cosmetic dentistry, dental crowns, dental inlays, dental onlays, general dentistry, periodontal surgery, periodontal treatment, root canals
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