We’re Dedicated to your Periodontal Health

If you have been diagnosed with periodontal disease (gum disease), your clinician may recommend a deep cleaning. Once bacteria have gathered in the gum pockets, they have numerous factors that can destroy healthy bone and gum tissue surrounding the teeth. The pockets will then extend to larger depths that a toothbrush and floss simply can’t reach. The purpose of the deep cleaning is to physically remove the bacteria, and help restore gum pockets that are more cleansable.

Dental Implants are an option to replace either a single missing tooth, multiple teeth, full arch of teeth, or to anchor a denture. The ability to place a dental implant in a particular site depends on several factors including: the volume and quality of bone and gum tissue present, proximity to vital structures, and current health status. Depending on these factors, additional grafting may be necessary prior to, or even at the same time of implant placement. The implant surgery will ultimately replace what is considered the “root” of the tooth, and the crown (or cap) will be made by your General Dentist or prosthodontist after the bone surrounding the implant has healed.

Following an extraction of a tooth, there is a remodeling process of the bone which can shrink the bone dimensions in multiple directions. Bone grafting may be necessary in areas where an excessive amount of remodeling (or previous bone loss) has occurred in order to prepare the site for implant placement. The most common forms of grafting include widening the horizontal dimension of bone, and sinus grafting to deepen the vertical dimension of bone. Grafting may also be recommended to aid in bone regeneration around a single tooth with isolated severe bone loss.

When bone loss and gum pocketing are severe, periodontal surgery may be indicated following a deep cleaning. There is a physical limit to how deep our instruments can clean without open access to the root surface. In severely deep sites, bone loss may continue to progress. The purpose of periodontal surgery is to fully clean remaining plaque and bacteria in deep sites, and restore the gum pockets to a maintainable level.

Certain teeth may not develop in the correct position and may be hidden by gum tissue and bone. In order to move the impacted (or “stuck” tooth) into the correct position, your orthodontist may recommend exposure of the hidden tooth. The procedure involves removing a small window of gum tissue to allow the orthodontist to place a bracket on the tooth and move it into the correct position. The gum tissue will naturally fill in as the tooth is moved into position.

Gum grafting may be indicated when the gum tissue is thin, or absent in certain areas that expose root surfaces. Patients with exposed root surfaces may commonly experience cold sensitivity, or may be concerned about the way it looks when they smile. This procedure involves using your own natural gum tissue or a substitute to help thicken or cover the exposed roots.

Although our mission is to maintain natural teeth for as long as we can, some teeth need to be removed due to  infection, excessive decay, severe bone loss, fracture, or severe discomfort. Dr. Ballatore is proficient in removing affected teeth, and will make sure you are comfortable through the process. He has also been trained extensively in preparing these sites for future dental implant placement.

If your dentist has recommended crown lengthening to you, it may be for one of two reasons generally: either a crown is needed on a tooth where an insufficient amount of tooth structure is remaining, or the crown of the tooth is naturally hidden by excessively thick gum tissue. In either situation, your periodontist will remove a small amount of hard and soft tissue to expose more of the natural tooth which can transform an existing “gummy” smile into a more esthetically pleasing one.