Detecting Gum Disease and Protecting Your Smile

Maintaining healthy gums is an important part of maintaining long-term oral health. When neglected, individuals leave themselves vulnerable to developing gum disease. Also known as periodontal disease, this condition causes bacteria to attack the gums. If left untreated, the condition can lead to teeth becoming loose and falling out of the mouth. With these consequences in mind, seeking care for gum disease is a crucial to keeping your smile healthy.

Identifying Gum Disease
Unlike other dental conditions, periodontal disease can start off virtually undetected. During its initial stage of gingivitis, patients may mistake bleeding gums as a minor inconvenience that will resolve itself. However, neglecting treatment during this early phase allows the condition to continue damaging the smile without interruption, often requiring more advanced care in order to restore the smile in the future.

Some common symptoms patients suffering from gum disease experience include:
- Bleeding or tender gums
- Red or purplish gums that appear to be swollen
- Receding gums
- Painful checking or sensitive teeth

Treating Gum Disease
The treatments used to removing disease-causing bacteria and restore the smile vary from patient to patient. For some, deep cleaning and root planing and scaling are the only procedures needed to correct gum health. However, instances of severe periodontitis may require soft tissue and bone grafting. During your visit with your Banning dentist, Dr. Berhanu-Demissie will discuss your needs and go over your potential treatment options.

Similarly, restoration options can vary between patients. This is typically determined by the size of the periodontal pockets left by the disease as well as the health of bone tissue following treatment. For patients who lost a tooth as a result of aggressive periodontal disease, dental implants can be used to replace the missing tooth and reinforce weakened bone density in the area. At Amy Berhanu-Demissie, DDS, our team collaborates with local area specialists to help create a treatment plan that addresses your health and restorative needs following gum disease treatment.

Preventing Future Infections
For patients recovering from gum disease, prevention is a necessary part of protecting the smile from recurrent infection and damage. At our Banning and San Bernardino practices, Dr. Berhanu-Demissie and her team work closely with patients to create an ongoing treatment schedule. Often, this continuing care plan includes more frequent visits for cleanings to prevent the build-up of tartar and to monitor changes to the gums.

Schedule Your Visit Today
At Amy Berhanu-Demissie, DDS, we believe patient education is key to detecting, treating, and preventing gum disease. For more information about this condition and to learn more about viable treatment options for your smile, contact our Banning or San Bernardino practices today.

Understanding Your Dental Implant Restoration Options

After dental implants are placed, patients typically undergo a recovery period during which the implant becomes an embedded part of the jaw bone. During this time, it is important that patients begin thinking about their restoration options.

Knowing your restoration options and understanding which best addresses your smile’s functional, health, and aesthetics needs is a key part of successful dental implant treatment.  For some, implant restoration is just a porcelain crown. For others, particularly those replacing multiple teeth with implant-supported restorations, the choices may be more varied.

Some of the most common implant restoration options include:

Porcelain Crowns:  For individuals using dental implants to replace one tooth, a porcelain crown is the restoration of choice. Designed to look just like natural teeth, crowns are highly resilient and easily replaceable in the event of accidental damage. As the crown is supported by the dental implant, patients do not need to worry about the alteration of neighboring teeth to support the restoration as they would with a bridge.

Bridges: Made of porcelain or porcelain fused to metal, implant-supported bridges are ideal for patients missing several teeth. While traditional bridges are held in place by a set of crowns attached to adjacent teeth, implant-supported bridges are attached to dental implants, eliminating the risk of damage to otherwise healthy teeth. Depending on the number of teeth being replaced, these fixed bridges can require anywhere from two to six dental implants. Implants are strategically placed to best support dental function and help patients enjoy improved bone density, protecting the shape of the face.

Overdentures: This treatment option is ideal for patients missing all the teeth in an arch as well as those looking to stabilize existing dentures, in particular those on the lower arch. Unlike implant-supported bridges, these implant dentures are removable, allowing patients to take out and replace their overdentures just like they would traditional dentures. In terms of aesthetics implant overdentures are less bulky than traditional, removable dentures.  

Dr. Amy Berhanu-Demissie offers a wide range of implant restoration options tailored to each patients’ health, function, and aesthetic needs. Following implant placement by a local oral surgeon, patients return to our Banning or San Bernardino practices to discuss which implant restoration will best meet their immediate and long-term goals. To learn more about implant dentistry in Banning and San Bernardino, contact Dr. Berhanu-Demissie today to schedule your restoration consultation.