Scaling and root planing helps to shrink periodontal pockets and can heal gum tissue. This treatment prevents further infection, and keeps your teeth and gums looking and feeling great. After scaling and root planing most patients notice their gums recede less, and they are restored.
Take To Heal? If you have the first stage of gum disease, gingivitis, you can usually expect to heal and recover within 14 days of getting a deep cleaning, assuming you take your prescribed antibiotics and maintain proper oral hygiene by brushing and flossing thoroughly.
Antibiotics. Topical or oral antibiotics can help control bacterial infection. Topical antibiotics can include antibiotic mouth rinses or putting gel containing an antibiotic into gum pockets. Sometimes oral antibiotics are needed to get of bacteria that cause infections.
Preventing Periodontal Pocket Development
Maintain a good oral healthcare routine at home. Brush, floss, and use mouthwash every day. Use a soft-bristled toothbrush. Brush gently along the gumline to clean without irritating the gum tissues.
Research proves a saltwater rinse containing 0.9 percent to 1.8 percent sodium chloride helps heal the gums. In addition, disinfectant properties are present in salt, helping kill harmful bacteria in the mouth while easing swelling and pain in the infected gums.
Salt has healing properties that can treat and heal inflamed or swollen gums caused by gum disease. Even though salt water is extremely effective in helping to treat gum disease, salt water cannot cure gum disease.
What Causes Deep Gum Pockets. There are two ways our gum pockets can get deeper. The first way involves the gum swelling from irritation, causing the gum pocket to become deeper and taller. Another way is due to bone loss around the teeth, at the base of the pocket.
Periodontal abscesses usually occur in areas with periodontal pockets, in which deep spaces are generated around the teeth. They cause a dull, gnawing, localized pain but are not painful to percussion. The discomfort ranges from low intensity aches to severe acute pain.
A tooth that is free of tartar has a better chance of allowing the gum tissues to heal and reattach to it. As a result, some deep gum pockets can be reduced after a deep cleaning.
What Symptoms are Related to Deep Dental Pockets? If you have bad breath or your gums are red and swollen, you will have dental pockets. We can perform a visual examination of the gums and teeth and also check the pocket depth. This is done with an instrument known as a probe.
In some cases, it may be too late for gum grafting to save the gums. If your gums are severely damaged, receding so far back that they expose the tooth's root, or if there is significant bone loss from advanced gum disease, gum grafting may not be able to restore them to their healthy state.
In most cases, the damage will not be completely reversible, but if you follow the treatment and prevention plan laid out by your dentist, you should be able to see significant improvement. Most people are able to reclaim a 4mm to 5mm pocket depth with proper treatment and ongoing periodontal maintenance.
It's never too late to seek treatment for gum disease, and the degree of treatment you require will depend on how advanced it is.
How Long Should I Rinse with Salt Water for Swollen Gums? You should rinse with salt water between 15-30 seconds, and you're not supposed to swallow it.
A saltwater rinse can be performed three to four times a week, but it is important that you don't go beyond this because salt contains sodium, and too much sodium can impact your tooth enamel negatively.
Mouthwash can be a helpful tool in the treatment of periodontal disease. Mouthwashes that contain chlorhexidine or hydrogen peroxide can help reduce plaque and tartar buildup. Mouthwashes that contain these ingredients should be used twice a day for best results.
Salt is a natural disinfectant that helps with gum disease in a few ways: It removes loose debris and cleans the teeth and gums. Reduces inflammation and swelling and soothes the gums.
Aim to rinse with salt water three to four times per week. Doing too many salt rinses can cause gum irritation, bleeding, and enamel erosion. If you've recently had a tooth pulled, wait 24 hours before using a salt water rinse.
Toothbrush at 45 degree angle to tooth, allowing bristles to slide between the tooth and gum, to clean plaque hidden in the sulcus. To brush, angle the bristles of the brush at 45 degrees to the side of the tooth. This allows the bristles to slide under the edge of the gum, reaching the hidden plaque.
It was concluded that substantial reduction in pocket depth occurs within 3 weeks after a single episode of root planing owing to initial gingival recession and secondary gain in clinical attachment.