Gum disease, also called periodontal disease, affects the soft tissue and bone that surround the teeth. Gum recession the most common symptom that patients notice. Your dentist or a periodontal specialist may recommend treatments that include periodontal surgery or non-surgical options, which may be combined with orthodontic treatment from Hall Orthodontics in Houston, TX.
What causes gum disease?
Most often, chronic neglect of dental hygiene will create and accelerate gum disease. Certain medical conditions will also contribute to gum problems.
You may not realize that your bite (occlusion), the way your teeth fit together, can also cause gum disease. When teeth do not fit together properly, damaging forces are created that will rapidly destroy the bone and gums around teeth leading to gum recession.
Bruxing or grinding of the teeth, along with crooked or misaligned teeth, will enhance and accelerate periodontal gum disease. You may not be aware that you grind your teeth at night, but the damage caused can be substantial. If you have TMJ/TMD, you may also have periodontal/gum disease due to the extreme forces generated with nighttime grinding.
Gum Disease Treatment
Gum disease is treated with combined therapies. Minor cases may be treated with medicines, while moderate to severe cases require a surgery, or a series of surgeries.
If you have bite issues or malocclusion, you may require periodontal surgery combined with orthodontics, as bite problems, gum recession, and bone loss are a common combination.
Dr. Hall has extensive experience in combined orthodontic and periodontal treatment. He has treated many cases with some of the leading periodontists in Houston.
Orthodontic treatment that focuses on periodontal health has several different names: Wilckodontics®, Surgically Facilitated Orthodontic Treatment (SFOT), and Accelerated Osteogenic Orthodontics (AOO).
The advantages of combined treatment for gum disease are several:
- Diseased bone is removed and bone grafting is added where needed.
- Soft tissue is re-contoured and grafted where necessary.
- The orthodontic or braces treatment is enhanced due to favorable changes in the bone and additional bone grafting.
- Aligning the bite and straightening the teeth increases the success of the periodontal surgery, often eliminating the need for follow up surgery.
- Because of the combination treatment, orthodontics/braces treatment time is reduced significantly, typically only six to 12 months.