Periodontal Disease

Periodontal disease is an infection of the gums and/or bone that surrounds the tooth. Generally the disease is painless, and most patients are not aware they have a problem until examined by a dentist.

Periodontal Disease Case Studies

Below is a list of case studies pertaining to Periodontal Disease:

Forced Tooth Eruption

One way orthodontics is used in treating periodontal disease is forced tooth eruption. When a tooth is moved orthodontically, the bone will follow the tooth as long as there is no inflammation. Thus if there is a bone pocket next to the tooth, it may be possible to erupt the tooth out of the defect. Read More >

Gingivectomy

The gingivectomy is perhaps the oldest surgical procedure used in periodontics. By definition, it means cutting away gingiva (gum). Early in the century this surgery was used to attempt pocket reduction, but unfortunately the gums would often grow back to their original position. Not until the early 1950's did periodontists realize that when periodontal infection caused irregular bone loss, a common occurrence, the gingivectomy was of limited value. Read More >

Guided Tissue Regeneration

When any surgery is performed in the mouth, gum heals over the wound very quickly. This is a defense mechanism, as the body tries to re-establish a protective "skin" to prevent outside infection. This healing also occurs after treating a periodontal pocket, and the gum quickly fills any void created by the deterioration of infected bone. Read More >