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  The Importance of Regular Periodontal Check-ups 

Routine periodontal check-ups are essential for maintaining healthy gums, strong teeth, and overall oral health. These specialized visits focus on preventing, diagnosing, and treating gum disease, a common condition that can lead to severe complications if left untreated.

Benefits of Regular Periodontal Examinations  

Early Detection of Gum Disease

Periodontal disease often develops silently, with symptoms like bleeding gums or bad breath being easy to overlook. Regular check-ups allow your periodontist to identify and treat gum issues early, preventing progression to advanced stages.

Prevent Tooth Loss   

Advanced gum disease can damage the structures supporting your teeth, leading to tooth loss. Periodontal maintenance helps preserve your natural teeth by addressing problems before they escalate.

Improve Overall Health

Gum health is closely linked to systemic conditions like heart disease, diabetes, and stroke. By keeping your gums healthy, you can positively impact your overall well-being.

Professional Cleaning and Care

Even with excellent oral hygiene at home, plaque and tartar can build up below the gumline. Periodontal cleanings remove these deposits, reducing your risk of infection.

Tailored Treatment Plans   

Regular visits allow your periodontist to monitor changes in your oral health and adjust your care plan as needed, ensuring the best outcomes.

Schedule Your Next Periodontal Check-Up 

Regular periodontal check-ups are a vital part of preventive care. Whether you’re managing existing gum disease or aiming to keep your gums healthy, routine visits can make all the difference.

Contact Britten Periodontics today to schedule your appointment and safeguard your oral health for the future.

How to Prevent Periodontal Disease & When to Get Help

How to Prevent Periodontal Disease & When to Get Help

Preventing gum disease requires a combination of good oral hygiene, regular dental care, and healthy lifestyle choices. Here’s what you can do:

1. Practice Good Oral Hygiene

  • Brush your teeth at least twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste.
  • Floss daily to remove plaque and food particles between teeth.
  • Consider using an antimicrobial mouthwash to reduce bacteria.

2. Schedule Regular Dental Visits

  • Visit your dentist or periodontist for routine cleanings and check-ups every six months—or more often if recommended.
  • Professional cleanings remove plaque and tartar that brushing and flossing can’t eliminate.

3. Maintain a Healthy Diet

  • Eat a balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains.
  • Limit sugary snacks and drinks, as sugar feeds harmful bacteria in your mouth.

4. Avoid Tobacco Products

  • Smoking and chewing tobacco increase your risk of gum disease and slow down healing after treatment.

5. Manage Stress

  • Chronic stress can weaken your immune system, making it harder to fight infections, including gum disease.

When to Seek Help

If you notice any signs of gum disease, don’t wait for them to worsen. Early intervention can prevent more severe issues and restore your oral health. A periodontist specializes in diagnosing and treating gum disease, so don’t hesitate to reach out for expert care.

Final Thoughts

Periodontal disease is a serious condition, but it’s also preventable and treatable with the right care. By staying vigilant about your oral health and seeking professional help when needed, you can maintain a healthy, beautiful smile for years to come.

If you have concerns about your gum health or want to learn more about preventing periodontal disease, contact Britten Periodontics today. Our team is here to help you achieve optimal oral health!

Understanding Periodontal Disease: Early Signs

Understanding Periodontal Disease: Early Signs

Recognizing the early symptoms of gum disease is crucial for timely intervention. Here are some common warning signs:

  • Red, swollen, or tender gums
    Healthy gums are firm and pink. Inflammation may indicate early gum disease, also known as gingivitis.
  • Bleeding during brushing or flossing
    While occasional bleeding may seem harmless, it’s often a sign of gum irritation or infection.
  • Persistent bad breath
    Chronic halitosis (bad breath) can result from bacteria buildup in the mouth.
  • Receding gums
    If your teeth appear longer or your gums are pulling away, it may indicate progressing gum disease.
  • Loose or shifting teeth
    Advanced gum disease can damage the structures that support your teeth.

How to Prevent Periodontal Disease

Preventing gum disease requires a combination of good oral hygiene, regular dental care, and healthy lifestyle choices. Stay tuned for our next blog article on how to prevent periodontal disease and when to seek help!

How to Use a Rubbertip Stimulator for Better Gum Health

Has your dental professional ever recommended using a rubbertip? A rubbertip stimulator can promote healthy and firm gums by massaging the gingival tissues and stimulating the blood flow. It works great around the margins of crowns and bridges that might be slighly ledgy and collecting plaque that you’re missing while brushing.
 
Here’s how to use a rubber tip for dental care:
– Wet the Tip (Optional): You may dampen the rubber tip slightly for easier use and to reduce friction.
– Angle the Tip: Hold the rubber tip at a 45-degree angle to your gums.
– Insert Gently: Place the tip at the gum line, gently inserting it into the sulcus (the space between your teeth and gums).
– Massage the Gums: Use a gentle, circular motion to massage the gums. This helps stimulate blood flow and can aid in gum health.
– Clean (Jiggle/Wiggle) Between Each Tooth: Move the rubber tip between your teeth to help remove debris and plaque. Be careful not to apply too much pressure.
– Rinse After Use: Rinse your mouth with water after using the rubber tip to wash away any loosened debris.
– Clean the Rubbertip: After use, clean the rubber tip thoroughly to maintain hygiene. Store it in a dry place.
 
Using a rubbertip can enhance your oral care routine, especially for gum health and cleaning hard-to-reach areas!

Understanding Periodontal Abscesses

🔍Understanding Periodontal Abscesses 🔍

 
Do you have persistent pain in your gums? It might be more than just a toothache! A periodontal abscess is a localized infection within the gums, often causing swelling, pain, and discomfort. 🤕
Signs to watch for:
– Swollen, red, or tender gums
– Pain when chewing
– Bad taste in your mouth
– Fever or fatigue
 
Ignoring these symptoms can lead to more severe dental issues. If you’re experiencing any of these signs, it’s crucial to consult your dentist as soon as possible for proper diagnosis and treatment. 🦷
 
Remember, maintaining good oral hygiene and regular dental check-ups can help prevent abscesses and keep your smile healthy! 😁✨
 
This video from Spear Education shows you the signs and symptoms of a periodontal abscess.

Interdental Aids: What’s Your Type?

Interdental Aids: What’s Your Type?

When selecting the size for an interdental aid, such as a Soft-Pick or interdental brush, aka proxabrush, consider the width of the spaces between your teeth.

It’s often a good idea to start with a smaller size and gradually move up if needed. If you’re unsure, your dentist can help recommend the right size based on your specific needs.
Here’s a general guide:
 
Soft-Picks are great for tighter spaces between the teeth, as well as a great place to start with for sensitive gums, broken teeth, or older restorations. Sizes/styles available:
 
• Original: For narrow or tight spaces between teeth.
 
• Wide: For wider spaces or if you need more coverage.
• Curved Soft-Picks are designed for improved access and maneuverability around the contours of your teeth and gums. Here are some advanced uses:
*Reaching Back Teeth: The curve helps you navigate to the back of your mouth more easily, making it simpler to clean areas that are hard to reach with straight picks.
*Cleaning Between Crowns and Implants: The curved design can better access spaces around crowns, bridges, and implants, which can be difficult to clean with straight picks.
 
*Gum Line Cleaning: The curve allows for more precise cleaning along the gum line, helping to remove plaque and food particles without causing discomfort.
 
When selecting the size for a Proxabrush, consider the width of the spaces between your teeth.
1. Tight: For tight spaces or smaller gaps.
2. Moderate: For slightly larger spaces.
3. Wide/Extra Wide/ or extra-extra large (TEPE size 7): For wider gaps or if you have larger interdental spaces.
 
As with any dental tool, using Soft-Picks or proxabrushes with proper technique is essential to avoid damaging your gums or teeth. If you have any specific concerns or conditions, consult with your dentist for guidance.
 
For more oral hygiene tips, visit:
https://brittenperio.com/oral-health/oral-hygiene/

What is a Frenectomy

Frenum:  The tissue that connects your cheeks, tongue or lips to your gum area. You have several frenums in your body.

Diastema:  Diastema refers to a gap between your teeth. Gaps can occur anywhere in your mouth, but they’re most common between your two front teeth. This condition is usually a cosmetic concern.

The labial frenum, or muscle attachment connecting  of the upper lip to the gums can be located too “low” which may prevent the front two teeth to touch together, causing a space. An upper lip tie can also affect craniofacial development in severe cases. Typically, the frenum is removed in conjunction with braces to close the gap. If not removed, the frenum may cause the gap to reopen. The procedure to remove a frenum is known as a frenectomy.

A frenectomy is a procedure we performed in our Clearwater, FL office.

Laser Periodontal Surgery: Before and After

Laser Periodontal Surgery: Before and After

Dr. Todd Britten offers his patients at Britten Periodontics & Implant Dentistry in Clearwater, Florida, the PerioLase and LANAP® protocol for treatment of periodontal disease. LANAP, or the Laser Assisted New Attachment Procedure, is an alternative to traditional periodontal surgery for the treatment of gum disease. Dr. Britten also offers LAPIP®, the Laser Assisted Peri-Implantitis Procedure, to treat infected and/or save failing dental implants.

Dr. Todd Britten cites that the benefits of laser periodontal dentistry include:

  • Precision

The precise dental laser used in our practice can accurately target and remove harmful bacteria without causing damage to healthy gum tissue.

  • Fast Recovery

Laser surgery involves no incisions and little to no post-operative inflammation. Therefore, patients experience a much faster healing period and often do not need pain medication.

  • Minimal Gum Recession

In traditional gum surgery, gum recession is commonly unavoidable. Laser gum surgery never harms healthy gum tissue, which means there is little to no gum recession.

  • Stronger Support

Laser gum surgery is scientifically proven to generate new bone growth in the jaw, leading to added support for existing teeth.

Using the PerioLase MVP-7 dental laser in both the LANAP and LAPIP protocols, we can effectively target and kills harmful bacteria that causes inflammation around natural teeth or dental implants. Killing the bacteria helps to treat the cause of the disease, not just the symptoms.

Broken Crown: Before and After

Broken Crown – Before and After

Your dentist can either repair or replace a broken crown

For a broken crown, your dentist will assess the issue and correct it right away. If the crown is still repairable, the dentist will use techniques like dental bonding to revitalize it. Yet, if the broken crown is beyond repair, replacing it will be the only option. Seeing your dentist for an evaluation will help determine which suits your case.

You can see in this picture the tooth in the middle was repaired with a beautiful new crown by one of our talented referring dentists! Materials in dentistry continue to improve function, esthetics and strength of crowns!

What is Crown Lengthening?

Crown Lengthening

Crown lengthening is generally performed to improve the health of the gum tissue or to prepare the mouth for restorative or cosmetic procedures.  In addition, crown lengthening procedures can also be used to correct a “gummy” smile, where teeth are covered with excess gum tissue.  Crown lengthening exposes more of the natural tooth by reshaping or recontouring bone and gum tissue.  This treatment can be performed on a single tooth, many teeth, or the entire gum line, exposing an aesthetically pleasing smile.

Reasons for crown lengthening

Crown lengthening is a versatile and common procedure that has many effective uses and benefits.  The vast majority of patients who have undergone this type of surgery are highly delighted with the results.

Here are some of the most common reasons for crown lengthening:

  • Restoration of damaged teeth – Periodontal disease can cause severe damage to the teeth, as can trauma and decay.  Where teeth have been broken beneath the gum line, crown lengthening can be used to prepare the area for a new restoration to correct the damaged teeth.
  • Cosmetic uses – Extra gum tissue can make teeth look unnaturally short and can also increase susceptibility to periodontal infections.  Removing excess gum tissue can restore a balanced, healthy look and improve the aesthetic appearance of the smile.
  • Dental crowns – Crown lengthening provides more space between the supporting jawbone and dental crown.  This prevents the new crown from damaging gum tissues and bone once it is in place.

What does crown lengthening involve?

Your dentist will make a series of small incisions around the soft tissue in order to separate the gums away from the teeth.  Even if only one tooth requires the re-contour, neighboring teeth are usually treated to provide a more even reshaping.  Separating the gums provides your dentist with access to the roots of the teeth and the underlying bone.

In some cases, the removal of a small amount of tissue will provide enough tooth exposure to place a crown.  In other cases, your dentist will also need to remove a small amount of bone from around the teeth.  The bone is usually removed using a combination of special hand instruments, and rotary instruments.  The rotary instruments roughly resemble the drill that is used in cavity treatment.

The teeth will look noticeably longer immediately after surgery because the gums will have been repositioned. The teeth will look noticeably longer immediately after surgery because the gums have now been repositioned.

Your dentist may secure the surgical site using an intraoral (periodontal) bandage which serves to prevent infection.  Prescriptions may be provided for pain medication, and a chlorhexidine (antimicrobial) mouth rinse will be given to help reduce any bacteria attempting to recolonize.  The surgical site will be completely healed in approximately two to three months.

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