Dentists will often refer their patients to a periodontist when they have detected high amounts of plaque below the gumline. Plaque serves as a warning sign, as it contains bacteria that can break down the enamel on your teeth, and cause cavities and rotting. This is where periodontics proves its worth, in these unseen regions under the gumline.

Over time, nearly every set of teeth will develop tartar and plaque. It is one of the reasons that we encourage our children to develop the habit of brushing their teeth twice daily. But in certain cases, plaque can concentrate out of reach of a toothbrush, resting up against your teeth, protected under the gumline.

This is an ideal breeding ground for bacteria to grow. As it expands, it will often create a miniature pocket, near the root of the tooth. This plaque is very difficult to expel without the correct tools, and it can often begin to impact not only the tooth, but also the gum tissue that is surrounding it.

Bloody or inflamed gums are often the first indication that there is something amiss. If a cleaning by your dentist doesn’t solve the problem, it is time to dig deeper.

This ailment has bred processes such as root scaling, and innovations like the LANAP laser procedure, to clean these tight spaces more effectively. As a speciality, periodontics places emphasis on its ability to extricate bacteria pockets and inflamed tissue from deep in the gums of a patient, using particular training and tools, to help a patient to overcome this common, yet tricky, ailment.

Periodontics might not be as well-known as modern dentistry, but it plays an enormous role in the proper maintenance of our teeth and gums. For more information, contact National Periodontics, or one of our locations, today.