Antibiotic Therapy is the use of antibiotics to treat, prevent, or improve illness. We utilize three different methods depending on what is necessary for our patient. They are Systemic Antibiotic Therapy, Low Dose Antibiotics Therapy, and Local Antibiotic Therapy.
Systemic Antibiotic Therapy
Systemic antibiotics are drugs that, when given, affect the whole body. Normally they are administered in pill form when used in periodontal treatment. Periodontists use systemic antibiotics to treat acute infections, such as a gum abscess (gum boil), and also before treatment when patients have certain medical conditions, such as mitral valve prolapse Read More >
Low Dose Antibiotics
Recently there has been interest in the use of low dose antibiotics. The dose is so low the drug does not act to kill bacteria, but rather to change the way the body responds to infection. One interesting effect of certain antibiotics is they not only kill the bacteria that may cause periodontal disease, but they also reduce the body's production of collagenase, an enzyme that destroys gingival tissues. Read More >
Local Antibiotic Therapy
While systemic antibiotics have a very limited use in treating typical periodontal disease, there has been much interest in local antibiotic delivery. If an antibiotic can be delivered directly to the pocket, without the patient having to take systemic doses, there are far fewer side effects, and fewer chances of resistant bacteria forming. Read More >
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