Who is a periodontist?

A periodontist is a dentist who specializes in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of periodontal disease and in the placement of dental implants. Dr. Robertson has received extensive training in these areas, including three years of education beyond dental school. In addition to diagnosing and treating periodontal disease, periodontists can perform cosmetic periodontal procedures to help you achieve the smile you desire.

What are periodontal diseases?

The word periodontal means "around the tooth." Periodontal diseases are serious bacterial infections that destroy the attachment fibers and supporting bone that hold your teeth in your mouth. Symptoms of gum disease include bleeding when brushing your teeth and swelling or redness in your gums. Periodontal disease can cause teeth to loosen or fall out, and it can also cause gum recession and bone deterioration. Studies show that gum disease has links to cardiovascular disease, strokes, complications with diabetes, low-birth-weight babies, and preterm births. Periodontal disease can be hard to recognize because there is often no pain, and there may not be any bleeding, redness, or swelling. Gum disease takes many forms:

• Gingivitis
• Aggressive periodontitis
• Chronic periodontitis
• Periodontitis as a manifestation of systemic diseases
• Necrotizing periodontal diseases

What are pockets?

Bone and gum tissue should fit snugly around your teeth like a turtleneck sweater around your neck. When you have periodontal disease, supporting tissue and bone deteriorates forming "pockets" around the teeth. Over time, these pockets become deeper, providing a larger space for bacteria to live. As bacteria develop around your teeth, they can accumulate and advance under the gum tissue. The deep pockets collect even more bacteria, resulting in further bone and tissue loss. Eventually, if bone loss affects tooth stability, you will need to have your teeth extracted.

Could my periodontal disease be genetic?

Research indicates that up to 30 percent of the population may be genetically susceptible to gum disease. Despite aggressive oral care habits, these people may be six times more likely to develop periodontal disease. If your parents and other family members have had gum disease, it's likely that you are at risk for periodontal disease as well.

How can gum disease affect my health?

Gum disease is associated with many health conditions, such as heart attacks and strokes. It also complicates blood sugar management for diabetics, and high blood sugar worsens gum disease. Pregnant women may suffer from pre-term births, and gum disease also plays a hand in low birth weight.

What is root scaling and planing?

Root scaling and planing, also called a deep cleaning, is a non-surgical procedure in which Dr. Robertson removes the plaque and tartar from below your gum line. The tooth root surfaces are cleaned and smoothed with specially designed instruments. Removing plaque and tartar from the pockets eliminates gum irritation and the environment that makes bacteria flourish.

How can soft tissue grafts help me?

Gums recede for many reasons, but treatment is the consistent. Soft tissue grafts can cover exposed roots and initiate gum tissue regeneration. The procedure can save you from further gum recession and bone loss, alleviate sensitivity due to exposed roots, and cosmetically enhance your smile.

What is a bone graft used for?

Periodontal disease can cause bone and gum deterioration. By grafting bone into these areas, tissue can regenerate naturally, essentially reversing the effects of gum disease. Bone grafts increase the chances that you will retain your natural teeth longer and decrease your susceptibility to further periodontal destruction from gum disease.

What is esthetic crown lengthening?

Some patients' front teeth appear short because of low gum lines. We can lengthen the appearance of your teeth by re-contouring the gum line and associated bone tissue. One or more teeth may undergo this procedure. Crown lengthening can also expose sufficient natural tooth surface for restorative procedures, like a veneer or crown.

What is functional crown lengthening?

When utilized to prepare a tooth to be fitted with a crown, functional crown lengthening creates adequate space between the supporting bone and crown. This prevents the new crown from causing damage to bone and gum tissue. By re-contouring the gum and bone tissue of one or more teeth, we can expose more tooth surface. The same procedure can be performed for tooth restorations. We want you to keep your natural teeth for your lifetime, and functional crown lengthening affords us this opportunity.

What can you do to reduce the size of pockets?

If your gums do not fit snugly around your teeth, you may have pockets that inhibit sufficient oral homecare. If you've been advised to consider pocket reduction, we will thoroughly clean the pockets, reduce rough areas on teeth so bacteria cannot collect, and secure the gum tissue, so it will adhere correctly to the underlying healthy bone.

If you have questions or need to schedule an appointment, please contact us. Our office is located in Allen, and we serve patients from Plano, Frisco, McKinney, and surrounding areas. Dr. Robertson and Dr. Gray look forward to meeting you and helping you optimize your oral health for a lifetime of smiles.