Initial therapy: stopping the inflammation
Initial therapy is the first step against periodontitis: how the pockets are cleaned and why cooperation at home is decisive.
The hygiene phase comes first
The cause is treated first: the bacterial infection. Therapy therefore begins with instruction in oral hygiene at home and a professional cleaning at the practice.
The cleaning itself
Under local anaesthesia the gum pockets and root surfaces are thoroughly cleaned. Fine instruments remove the deposits even from deeper pockets without the gum having to be opened – this is known as a minimally invasive approach.
Where instruments cannot reach
At the deepest points an antibiotic or another antimicrobial agent can supplement the treatment. That requires two things: that the deposits have been brought under control beforehand, and that the patient cooperates. Without both, the effect comes to nothing.
What remains afterwards
Conventional therapy halts the loss but reverses it only to a limited degree. Where a great deal of tissue has been lost, regenerative treatment follows once this phase is complete.
Answered briefly
Frequently asked questions
The root surfaces below the gum margin are freed of deposits and calculus – with hand instruments and ultrasound, under local anaesthetic. This is the core of periodontal treatment.
In the first few days the teeth can react sensitively to cold and heat, and the gums can ache slightly. Both subside. Exposed tooth necks sometimes stay sensitive for longer; varnishes and pastes help there.
The swelling subsides and the gum reattaches to the tooth. What was previously puffed up by the inflammation now visibly shrinks. That is a sign of healing, even if it is disconcerting at first.