Periodontics at Aesthetic Dental Center of Hackensack

Periodontics is an area of dentistry with an exclusive focus on the inflammatory disease that can destroy gum tissue and supporting tooth structures.

Non-Surgical Intervention

We prefer to achieve periodontal health through the least invasive techniques possible. A surprising number of their treatments do not involve surgery.

Scaling and Root Planing

Scaling and root planing is performed to prevent or keep periodontal disease from growing worse. This technique involves a careful root surface cleaning for the removal of plaque and tartar from gum pockets, as well as smoothing out the tooth root for the removal of bacteria and toxins.

Your periodontist may follow up with an adjunctive therapy like systemic antibiotics, local delivery anti-microbials, or host modulation when required.

Often, patients do not need additional active treatment following scaling and root planing. But they will still need ongoing therapeutic maintenance to maintain their oral health.

Cosmetic Surgery Procedures 

Periodontists are often thought of as the plastic surgeons of the dental world. If you want to enhance your smile, periodontics treatment can help.

Gummy Smile

Many people are unhappy with their smiles because their teeth appear too short from a subjective point of view. This is commonly known as a gummy smile where too much of the gum shows when smiling. This can be corrected using dental crown lengthening. Your periodontist will remove excess gum tissue to reveal more of the tooth crown. They will then sculpt your gum line to create a good look.

Gum and Jawbone Indentations

If you lose a tooth, an indentation can form in the gum tissue and jawbone at the area where the tooth was located before. This occurs because your jawbone will naturally recede when a tooth is not present. This leads to an unnatural appearance that can cause a replacement tooth to appear overly long in comparison to surrounding teeth.

This defect can be corrected using ridge augmentation to fill in the resulting defect, which helps the patient regain their natural contours with their gums and jaw. Your periodontist can follow up by providing a new, natural-looking tooth that is both easily cleaned and attractive.

Dental Implants

Dental implants are now the gold standard for tooth replacement. You do not want to leave a missing tooth alone, as the resulting space can cause surrounding teeth to shift into it, causing problems with your bite or teeth alignment. Not having a tooth also causes your jawbone to resorb, meaning it deteriorates.

A dental implant procedure involves the placement of a titanium screw within the jawbone. In our practice, the implant placement is being performed by our oral surgeon. After your jawbone has fused onto this implanted post, your restorative dentist here in our office will attach an abutment and crown onto it to serve as a functional tooth. Our patients benefit greatly from having both surgical and restorative phases of the implant dental procedure under one roof, with collaboration between oral surgeon and restorative dentist working as one team.

Periodontal Disease

Commonly known as gum disease, periodontal disease is a serious condition that can eventually cause the loss of one or more teeth. There are a number of periodontal surgeries that can halt its progression. Should you be diagnosed with periodontal disease, and a gum surgery is needed, we would refer you to a periodontist of your choice, or to our sister office where we have this specialist working as part of the team.

Pocket Reduction

If other types of intervention have not led to gum tissue snugly fitting around teeth, or deep pockets cannot be kept clean, you may need a periodontal pocket reduction, sometimes known as flap surgery.

During this procedure, your dentist will remove harmful bacteria while smoothing sections of damaged bone. This allows your gum tissue to securely reattach to healthy bone.

Bone Grafting

Periodontal disease can progress and cause the destruction of bone matter. A bone graft helps to promote bone growth where this has occurred. In this type of therapy, we will be eliminating bacteria and placing bone to replace that which has been lost, along with special proteins that assist your body in properly re-growing bone and tissue.

Maintaining Periodontal Health

Besides not smoking, which hinders the ability of the body to heal, we may also advise that you closely monitor your periodontal health by visiting more frequently for checkups and cleanings. Periodontal disease is definitely a condition that is more easily prevented than treated.

Schedule Your Consultation

If you are a resident of Hackensack who would like to consult with our periodontist at Aesthetic Dental Center of Hackensack, please contact us today to book your consultation.