Most people tend to think of their teeth when they think about oral health. However, gum health is equally as important to consider, especially since your teeth can’t stay in place if gum tissue is unhealthy. Gum disease is the leading cause of tooth loss in American adults, which is why Dr. Brice offers multiple treatments to protect and restore your gum tissue as needed. If you’re experiencing tender, red, swollen or inflamed gums, we can get you back on the right track. Call us today to schedule an appointment for periodontal therapy in San Antonio, TX!
When gum disease advances past the early stages, it cannot be treated with at-home oral care or a traditional cleaning. Instead, Dr. Brice needs to perform scaling and root planing, two treatments designed to remove infected gum tissue and plaque as well as promote the reattachment of the tooth roots to the gum tissue. With our soft tissue laser, we can mitigate post-operative symptoms, maintain more natural tissue, and make your treatment more comfortable overall.
After your initial therapy is completed, we’ll provide Arestin antibiotic therapy to kickstart the healing process of your gum tissue before your next visit. Once applied inside the deep pockets between your gums and teeth, the antibiotic begins to break down bacteria and reduce inflammation present inside the gums. Once you come back for your follow-up appointment, we’ll make sure that the antibiotic is working as intended. Treatment is painless and only takes a few minutes to complete.
Gum tissue is very sensitive, which means we aren’t able to perform the entire gum therapy treatment all in one visit. Your gums will need time to heal after being treated, which means you’ll need to come back every three to four months to finish your therapy. These follow-ups also give us a chance to confirm that the condition of your gums is improving. If you need additional help getting comfortable during treatment, we offer multiple sedation options in-house for your convenience, including IV sedation.