Parodontics

Various treatments exist. Although gingivitis can be completely eradicated, parodontal diseas can only be stabilized. It is impossible to repair bones and gums when damaged.

Etiological treatment

Treating the elements causing the periodontal disease is the very first step.  

  • Strict oral hygiene

It is the prerequisite to any parodontal treatment. No treatment will be effective if the patient does not have the good oral hygiene necessary to favour healing.
Teeth must be brushed twice a day, for a minimum of 3 minutes, with a soft toothbrush. Dental floss and interdental brushes must be used as complements.

  • Tartar removal

Tartar is removed with ultrasonic sound and mechanical devices (tartar remover).

  • Gingival scraping and surfacing

It is the same principle as in the tartar removal, but one step further. It is performed either quadrant by quadrant or sextant by sextant. 

Surgical treatment

When the disease has reached an advanced stage, a stronger treatment becomes necessary.
Any treatment may have some contraindications : they must be avoided by smokers, unbalanced diabetics and persons with immunodepressed systems.

Tartar removal/surfacing surgery (parodontal decontamination surgery) : The dentist (or parodontist) cuts the gum open to directly access the surface to be treated. The recovery takes longer than for a simple tartar removal/surfacing.

  • Gingival transplant : keratinized gum is taken from a donor site (often from the palate), and then transplanted onto the gingival recession zone. Various techniques exist : conjunctival epithelium transplant ; buried conjunctival transplant ; lateral or apical flap removal.
  • Guided tissue regeneration : it aims to regenerate the patient's tissue and participate in the pockets' fill-in by using different types of bone substitutes and membranes.