Periodontist Belle, MO
Periodontist in Belle, MO. Periodontal disease, a serious gum infection, often starts as gingivitis, a moderate gum condition caused by plaque buildup. John Martin & Associates are committed to helping patients with various tooth and gum problems. Contact our offices today or call (314) 739-1222 for Maryland Heights or (573) 764-2425 for Gerald to schedule an appointment.
What Does a Belle, MO, Periodontist Do?
A periodontist is a dental specialist focused on diagnosing, preventing, and treating periodontal disease. Their expertise includes maintaining dental implants, performing soft tissue and bone grafts, facilitating tissue regeneration, repairing crowns, and conducting gum grafting procedures.
John Martin & Associates has the capabilities for:
- Periodontal Disease Treatment
- Root Canal Therapy
- Oral Cancer Screenings
- Endodontic Therapy
- Dental Bonding
- Chipped Tooth Repair
- Cosmetic Dentistry
As an all-in-one family dentist, our St. Louis-based dentists help prevent painful and even life-threatening oral diseases in Belle, MO. Contact our team now to learn more.
To avoid periodontitis, it's important to brush and floss regularly, avoid smoking, and visit your dentist routinely.
Here are other services we provide for Belle, MO, patients:
- Dental Checkup
- Gum Disease Treatment
- Root Canal
- Teeth Implants
- Pediatric Dentist
- Cosmetic Dentistry Services
- Severe Tooth Pain
- Crowded Teeth
- All on 4 Dental Implants
- Chipped Tooth Repair
When Should You See a Periodontist?
Brushing your teeth twice a day, flossing daily, and visiting a dentist twice a year can help prevent gum disease, but some patients are more susceptible to certain oral health conditions.
Periodontal disease can be detected during a dental examination using a dental "probe" to search for deep pockets surrounding the sides of teeth, x-rays to see if any bone loss has occurred, and discussing a patient's family oral health history. Additionally, factors such as smoking and diabetes can significantly contribute to the development of gum disease.
If you have noticed any of the following symptoms, you could have periodontitis and require immediate treatment from a Belle Periodontist:
- Swollen, tender, or bleeding gums - periodontal disease affects the gums and jaw bone - if your gums are bright red, sore, swollen, or painful, you could have gum disease
- Abnormal spaces between teeth - under the gum line can cause a person's gums to recede, tooth loss, and, over time, erode the jaw bone
- Severe tooth pain - gum inflammation can cause deep pockets surrounding the teeth, that fill with pus, and when food, air, or water touches it, can lead to extreme sensitivity and pain, and make it challenging to eat, drink, or talk
In many cases, periodontal disease are preventable with biannual visits to the visit, brushing twice a day, and glossing, but if you do contract periodontitis, it's important to remember that it's entirely treatable and can be cured with aggressive periodontal disease treatment.
Periodontal Disease Treatment in Belle
There are four stages of gum disease; gingivitis and slight, moderate, and advanced periodontitis. Each stage of periodontitis comes with its own challenges and therefore, requires specific types of treatment.
If your Belle Periodontist thinks that you might have periodontitis, you might need one of the following Belle gum disease treatments:
- Scaling, or, tartar and buildup removal, which is performed using a dental scaler to scratch buildup from the surface of each individual tooth and between the gums
- Root planing, or, the smoothing of a tooth's roots, to remove bacteria and other buildup in the area
- Applying topical antibiotics to remove harmful bacteria from between a patient's teeth, inside deep pockets, and under the gum line
- Flap surgery involves making a small incision in the gum, lifting it back, and performing deep scaling and root planing
- Soft tissue grafting repairs soft tissue damage caused by periodontitis using small pieces of healthy tissue from other parts of the mouth
- Bone grafting, which is used during advanced periodontal disease treatment, takes small samples of bone from non-infected areas to help aid natural regrowth of bone and prevent future tooth loss
- Guided tissue regeneration, which involves placing a fabric between existing bone and tooth to prevent deeper infection and allows bone to grow back over time
- Tissue-stimulating proteins are a special gel that is applied to a diseased tooth root to prevent deeper infection and stimulate natural growth of bone and tissue
After a Belle Periodontist provides in-office treatment, at-home prevention of periodontal disease typically involves brushing twice a day, flossing every morning and night or after every snack and meal, using fluoride mouth rinses to prevent infection, and a dental pick to clean gums.
Belle Periodontist
If you think that you might have periodontitis or another type of gum disease, you need to get help from a Belle periodontist right away. The sooner that gum disease and periodontal disease are detected, the lower chance there is for severe, irreversible damage such as tooth loss, gum decay, and bone destruction.
Dr. John Martin and Dr. Tyler Musto have more than 35 years of experienced in the St. Louis dental industry. Our periodontists' goal is to get your oral health in optimal shape, prevent future tooth, gum, or other oral health conditions, and make sure that you are satisfied with your experience every time you leave our office.
If you are looking for a periodontist in Belle, call (314) 739-1222 (Maryland Heights), (573) 764-2425 (Gerald), or contact Martin Dental & Associates today to schedule an appointment.
Martin Dental & Associates serves residents in the following cities in the Greater St. Louis Area: