What is Perio Treatment (Gum Disease)?

Periodontal Treatments are required when you present with early indications of “Gum disease” Symptoms of periodontal disease include bleeding, inflamed and swollen gums. You may also find that your gums start to recede, which means they shrink away from their original shape and form. This is a very concerning situation and prompt attention to early gum disease is vital in saving your teeth and keeping your smile and ability to eat with your natural teeth!

Receding gums can lead to early tooth loss of teeth and tooth decay, it is a real cause for concern, however as holistic practitioners they is a wonderful range of treatment options available to you that perhaps you may not of thought of before which we will describe in further text!

There are some basic things you can do at home to of course help heal and prevent gum disease! It will likely come as little surprise that diet and lifestyle play a huge role in your oral health. Based on sound advice from our Dentist and nutritionist we recommend That you remove as much sugar form your diet as you possibly can, immediately.

If you are a smoker you must endeavour to quit as soon as possible! Stay away from fizzy drinks and sweet foods and also keep an eye on foods that provide unexpected or hidden sugars! Such as no refined or processed foods until we are able to really get on top of the gum disease.

Try whenever possible to eat a high protein low Gi Diet and avoid traditional grains for a period of four – six weeks. Healthy alternative grains that are lower in sugar are always recommended at this point. Even fruit can be a No No when gum disease is present and threatening to cause significant issues! Ideally avoid Dairy products if and when you can (this is because lactose has such a high sugar content) Brush Regularly, Floss often and even consider oil pulling, particularly oil that is ozonated will be helpful at this stage.

The first Line of Defence - Your Hygiene Visits

Preventing and reversing gum disease is always a major concern to our Oral Health team. We will likely recommend you have an initial visit with our hygienist to asses the extent of your gum disease and advise you on the necessary steps to prevent further damage and hopefully improve this condition. Your appointment will involve the professional removal of tartar and plaque from around your teeth. At Crown Holistic Dental we not only use traditional methods but when required we also use an abrasion method. Air Abrasion works much like a mini sandblaster that sprays a fine stream of particles the stained or tartar built up around the margins of your tooth. These particles are made of silica, or a baking soda mixture. They are applied via compressed air that ingenuously removes any build up as it blast as along the surface of the tooth.

The air abrasion methos is much gentler on highly sensitive teeth, we also use warm water with this method, which may aid in your comfort especially if your gums are already sensitive and receding as is common with gum disease. We then use a modified hand piece to direct and flow Ozone gas all over the surfaces of your teeth and gums. Yet another wonderful line of defence assisting in the healing of your gums. We will then scrub and polish your teeth with an Activated Charcoal and Peppermint mixture and prophy paste material, this also has fine particles that assist to scrub and clean your teeth and gums. It is fluoride free and is wonderful at polishing and cleaning your teeth.

You will be left with a fresh mouth feeling which for patients with gum disease is very reassuring! We also use traditional hand scaling and ultra-sonic scaling methods according to the discretion of our very talented Oral Health therapist for the best outcome in your particular case. We will advise you how often you need to attend, and provide in depth instruction on oral hygiene techniques and procedures for you to maintain at home. Chronic and advance gum disease may often require frequent, regular and deeper cleaning than a 6 monthly standard recommendation. So it should come as no surprise that we may request to see you every 2 – 3 months until we are satisfied with improvements to your gum health. Of course ALWAYS continue regular brushing and flossing in order to prevent cavities and gum disease.

For advance gum disease that is beyond our scope of practice we will refer you to a “periodontist” however in may cases when caught at an early stage we are able to assist you in regaining a healthy mouth and Gums!

What can you do at home? Ozonated Oil Pulling

Oil pulling at home could not be easier! It is an ancient tradition that dates back many thousands of years! Ozone is effective at killing viruses, bacteria, fungi, and more! In gum Disease unwanted microorganisms, like bacteria make their homes on the hard surfaces of our teeth and the soft tissues of your gums! The best way to perform at-home ozone therapy is oil pulling with ozonated coconut or ozonated olive oil.

Oil pulling, is an ancient ayurvedic dental technique that requires you to swish a tablespoon of oil in the mouth for roughly 10-15 minutes if you can handle up to 20 minutes that’s even better! Ideally it is done on an empty stomach.

This action is reported to draws toxins from the body. It is useful in reducing bacterial loads in the mouth and is noted to improve oral health as well as overall health improvements.

Simply follow these instructions when you are using your ozonated Oil at home.

1. Place roughly one tablespoon of ozonated oil, such as coconut, sesame or olive oil in your mouth.

2. Swish it around in your mouth for 10 – 20 minutes, do not swallow the oil.

3. Spit the oil out when finished

4. Rinse your mouth well after oil pulling

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