What is Periodontal Disease?
Periodontal care becomes essential when conditions impact the health of your gums and the jawbone that secures your teeth. Keeping your natural teeth depends largely on attentive periodontal maintenance. Think of healthy gums as the perfect frame that highlights your smile. When gums turn unhealthy, they might recede, swell, redden, or deteriorate silently without obvious symptoms. In advanced stages, bone support weakens causing teeth to shift, loosen, or even fall out. This not only affects chewing and speaking but also diminishes your confident smile.
Request an AppointmentPeriodontal diseases are persistent infections that gradually break down the structures supporting your teeth. They affect one or more periodontal tissues, including the alveolar bone, periodontal ligament, cementum (the outer root layer), and gingiva (gums). While many conditions can impact these tissues, plaque-induced inflammation accounts for most cases and divides into gingivitis and periodontitis. Gingivitis is milder, affecting only the soft gums, and although it doesn’t always progress to periodontitis, it always precedes it.
Dental plaque, a sticky, colorless film of food debris and bacteria, is the main cause of gingivitis, especially in those genetically prone. This plaque forms rapidly after cleaning and harbors bacteria that release toxins irritating your gums. This irritation leads to redness, swelling, and easy bleeding. If it continues, gums begin to pull away from teeth, forming pockets. Neglecting daily brushing and flossing lets plaque harden into calculus (tartar), which forms both above and below the gum line. Without professional cleaning, this inflammation worsens, causing gums to detach further and bone to erode as it tries to fight the infection. As bone recedes, pockets deepen, worsening the condition.
When gingivitis advances to periodontitis, the tissues and bone holding teeth deteriorate, risking tooth loosening and loss. This disease involves bacteria clinging to tooth surfaces combined with an aggressive immune response.
What makes periodontal disease particularly concerning is its often painless, symptomless progression. About 80% of Americans over 45 have some form of it, yet 4 out of 5 don’t realize they are affected. That’s why consistent home care and regular checkups at Innovative Periodontics & Dental Implants in Santa Rosa, CA are so important to catch and manage it early.
LANAP Laser Periodontal Procedures
A modern breakthrough in periodontal treatment is laser therapy that promotes tissue regeneration. At Innovative Periodontics & Dental Implants, skilled doctors like Dr. Uemura, Dr. Vassilopoulos, and Dr. Shah use the PerioLase™ for the Laser Assisted New Attachment Procedure (LANAP™). This minimally invasive method requires no scalpel or sutures and encourages your body’s natural ability to heal and rebuild lost gum, bone, cementum, and ligament tissues.
The laser precisely targets diseased gums, identified by their darker color compared to healthy tissue. It stimulates healthy tissue to reattach to bone, encouraging connective tissue regrowth and significantly lowering the chance of recurring gum disease compared to traditional surgery.
Thanks to this targeted approach, patients experience little to no postoperative pain and fewer side effects or risks. If you want a caring, experienced team to restore your gum health gently, contact Innovative Periodontics & Dental Implants at (707) 525-0555 to schedule your visit.