Gum can recede and damage due to diseases like gingivitis or periodontitis or otherwise the gums can grow more around the teeth.The receding of the gums may cause due to poor nutrition or dental hygiene and the over growth of gums may occur due to the reaction of some medicines.Surgical procedures may be needed to rectify this dental problem.And the cost may depend upon the extent and nature of damage.
Typical Costs
- For gingivectomy or gingivoplasty for one tooth may cost around $190 -$300 and it can reach to $500-$800 per quadrant (upper right, lower right, upper left, lower left).And for the whole mouth it costs about $2,000 -$4,000.
- Tissue regeneration or tissue grafts in one specific area will cost around $500 -$900.The cost may also depends upon the extent of gum tissue damage in your mouth.
- The average cost of full mouth periodontal treatment is $4,000 -$6,000 but may go as high as $8,000 -$10,000 or even go higher depending upon the specific dental work or procedure.
Additional Costs
- Gum disease treatment starts with a periodontal diagnosis exam and X-rays which may cost you around $150 -$400.
- A full mouth debridement(Surgical removal of foreign material and dead tissue from a wound in order to prevent infection and promote healing) may cost you around $75 -$150.
- If needed, periodontal maintenance procedures can cost $150 -$250 per visit.
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admin on August 18th 2009 in Dental treatment cost
Thorough tooth cleaning is needed prior to the treatment of Gingivectomy or Gingivoplasty.This cleaning helps to remove the microbes and calculus from the gaps around the teeth.Periodontist also give some dental care tips that help you to take care of your teeth after the surgery.
The surgical procedure
Gingivectomy and Gingivoplasty are normally done with scalpels.It is also done using electrosurgery or laser units.Sometimes periodontists also use some specialized tools for Gingivectomies.They have angled blades that help to get around the teeth.
Gingivectomy as well as Gingivoplasty are done under local anesthesia.The duration of gingivectomy procedure ranges from a few minutes to more than an hour.The length of the treatment procedure also depends upon the amount of the gum tissues to be removed.Gingivoplasties typically are done in a couple of minutes.
After the Surgical procedure
After gingivectomy or gingivoplasty, there will be periodontal dressing for more than a week.The dressing should be soft and there will be dietary restrictions.The periodontist emphasise to the patients to have soft and non spicy foods.Sometimes pain killers and antiseptic mouthwash may also be prescribed.
Cleanliness is very important during the healing period.You should not brush or floss at the dressing part.But you can brush at the other parts normally.When the dressing is taken you can gently brush at that part.Your gum tissues will look normal after 3 to 4 weeks but it will take 2 to 3 months to heal completely.
There are no major risks for both gingivectomy and gingivoplasty.There will be bleeding for 1 to 2 days and after that the affected area will not bleed much.You have to call your periodontist if the bleeding doesn’t stop.
Gingivectomy before and after pictures
before gingivectomy treatment
After gingivectomy treatment
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Gingivectomy is the surgical removal of gum tissue or gingiva and Gingivoplasty is a type of gum surgery used to reshape healthy gum tissue around teeth.Both these surgical treatments are done by periodontists.Periodontists are dentists specialized in treating gums and the other structures that supports teeth
At first, Gingivectomy was developed to treat periodontal disease.But now it is more commonly used to improve the appearance of the gums.
Reasons for the removal of gum tissues include:-
- Gaps or pockets which have formed between the teeth or gums.This may trap foods which gradually became the colonies of bacterias and ultimately leads to gum diseases.If the pockets involve only soft tissues, they can be removed by gingivectomy
- If there is too much gum tissue around the teeth,some people finds it hard to clean the epithelial attachment (joint between gum and teeth).In severe cases, this conditions can interfere with chewing and speech.Excess growth of gum tissue is actually not apparent but sometimes it is caused due to the intake of some medicines.
Gingivoplasty usually done to look gums better.Gingivoplasty reshapes the gums to make them look more natural. It is often done alone, but also done during or after a gingivectomy. Gingivoplasty also can be done along with a gum graft. This type of surgery adds tissue to the gum line.
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admin on August 18th 2009 in Dental terms and definitions
Most of the dental associations and dentists strongly recommend the teeth brushing technique known as the “Bass Method”.
What is the dental “Bass Method” brushing technique?
The Bass Method teeth brushing technique consists of always brushing away from the gum line that is from gum to tooth.This specific tooth brush movement effectively helps to remove the plaque and provides a healthy massage to the gums.It also helps in the optimal blood circulation and also avoids the separation of the gums from the teeth.
Bass Method brushing technique also protects the gums from gingivitis since the food particles are moved away from the gum line.Although this method is very effective, it is very difficult to follow with manual as well as power toothbrushes
Is it important to brush regularly following the dental Bass Method?
Statistics shown by World Health Organization(WHO) suggests that dental cavities are increasing day by day.Dental cavities are caused by the accumulation of dental plaque.The basic principle of dental hygiene illustrates to brush after every meal.The main objective of brushing is to remove the dental plaque in order to prevent dental cavities and gum problems.
In the course of time, plaque turns into tartar and starts to attack the epithelial attachment (Joint between tooth and gum).The attack on the epithelial attachment causes gingivitis (Inflammation of gums), if not treated becomes chronic gingivitis (loss of gingival or bony matter).
So the dental Bass Method brushing technique protects the epithelial attachment from getting infected.
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admin on August 12th 2009 in Dental health care
Bad Breath or Halitosis affects substantial number of people in all countries.85-90% of the bad breath causes originates from the mouth itself.
- The most common cause of Bad Breath is the accumulation of food particles.The anaerobic bacterias act upon the food particles producing respiratory products which give off the characteristic rotten egg smell.
- Tooth decay caused by bacterias also leads to Halitosis.
- Dryness of Mouth (Xerostomia):-Saliva has the anti-bacterial action.Reduction of saliva leads to the accumulation of plaque which creates an environment for the growth of bacterias causing Bad breath.
- Gum diseases and periodontal diseases are the other causative agents of bad breath.
- Smoking also causes Bad breath due to the accumulation of nicotine or tar
- Severe dieting or prolonged starvation also causes Bad breath due to Ketoacidosis
- Infections of respiratory tract, diabetes and kidney dysfunction also causes Bad breath.These are generally called as Extra-oral sources.
Statistics shows that 25% of the people seeking professional help has Halitophobia or delusional Halitosis which is the fear of bad breath eventhough the people doesn’t actually have Bad breath.
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admin on August 12th 2009 in Dental Problems
Brushing is a routine activity but most of the people doesn’t know the chemistry behind the cleansing of teeth.Here are the mechanism of tooth paste that helps in the proper cleaning of the teeth.
Abrasive action:-The abrasive agents in the toothpastes helps in removing the food particles and food stains in the oral cavity by the abrasive action.It also helps in polishing of the tooth surface.Studies shows that tooth powders have almost twice the abrasive action as that of tooth pastes.
Antiseptic Action:-The toothpaste contains antimicrobial agents such as Xylitol which inhibit the growth of bacteria in the mouth.
Fluoride Action:-Fluoride is one of the important ingredient of tooth paste that helps to replace hydroxypatite of tooth with fluoropatite which is much stronger as well as resistant to caries.
Points to remember while using a tooth paste
- Swallowing of tooth paste causes fluoride toxicity.So, never swallow the tooth paste
- Limit the use of tooth pastes for another needs such as pimples or zits since excessive use will damage the sensitive skin eventhough the tooth pastes are found to be helpful in removing pimples or zits but there is no scientific support.
- Don’t brush more vigorously for a long duration since it will give you more harm than good.
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admin on August 12th 2009 in Dental health care
Brushing is our every day activity but no one including adults doesn’t know the correct method of brushing the teeth.Improper brushing is the starting of all dental problems like Plaque, Calculus, Bleeding Gums, Halitosis(Bad breath), Gum diseases, Caries, Tooth discoloration.
You should have to remember that most of the dental problems will not show any symptoms or pain at the budding stage.You will feel the pain only after reaching relatively advanced stage.So proper brushing of teeth is very important.
There are different types of teeth brushing techniques, but the most accepted brushing technique by most of the dentists is the “Bass Method”.
Tips for proper brushing of teeth
- Always use soft bristled tooth brush since hard bristles will lead to gingival recession due to damage of gums
- At first, wet your tooth brush and then take a pea amount of tooth paste
you have to hold the tooth brush at an angle 45 degrees and the maxillary (Upper) teeth should have to clean first.Begin at the frontal (visible) aspect of the most posterior (Back) teeth and brush your teeth according to the Bass method, which is more effective.Clean 3 teeth at a time.
Gently brush the chewing surface of the teeth with back and forth motions.Proper brushing is needed at the part of the tooth, which is nearer to the gums (other wise called as neck of the tooth) since improper brushing at this part will normally end up in gum diseases.
After cleaning the frontal or visible part and the chewing surface, then clean the inner surface of the teeth by keeping the brush at an angle of 45 degrees if the head of the brush is too large.Use the brush vertically while cleaning the inner surface.- After cleaning the 3 teeth, move the brush anteriorly to the next 3 teeth and repeat the same above process.First cleaning the outer surface,chewing surface and the inner surface.
- Continue the process till you reach the end of the arch and then shift the brush to the lower teeth and clean them in a similar way.
- Gentle brushing along the gum line of the teeth is very much needed since it helps to dislodge the accumulated food debris on which bacteria grows.
- Always brush your tongue too, which helps you to keep the bad breath away.
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admin on August 12th 2009 in Dental health care
Smoking leads to a lot of ill-effects on our general health.But you have to be aware of that smoking is also injurious to the dental health.Here are some bad effects of smoking on oral health.
Discoloration of tooth
Smoking causes tooth stains on the teeth.These tooth stains are due to the nicotine and tar present in the cigarettes.Staining of tooth ranges from yellow to dark brown and these stains are difficult to remove by normal brushing.
Bad Breath
Smokers are at a greater risk of developing bad breath than non smokers.The nicotine and tar content gives rise to a typical bad breath known as smokers breath.smoking causes dry mouth which is a leading cause of Halitosis (bad breath).
Tooth decay
Smoking leads to the accumulation of plaque which eventually leads to dental caries.
Gum Disease
Due to the accumulation of plaque and tartar caused by smoking, it finally leads to gum disease.Normal functioning of cells in the gum tissue also affects badly due to smoking.A recent study reveals that smokers are 4 times vulnerable to gum disease than non-smokers.
Tooth loss
Advanced gum disease (Periodontitis) is the leading cause of tooth loss in adults.
Oral Cancer
A major bad effect of smoking is oral cancer. Nearly 90% of all Oral Cancer patients are smokers.
Other bad effects of smoking
- Mouth bores
- Hairy tongue
- Sinusitis
- Smokers lip
- Jaw bone loss
- Altered sense of taste and smell
- Shifting teeth
- Delayed wound healing
The studies shows that the body’s resistant power to diseases will also weaken due to years of smoking.
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admin on August 7th 2009 in Dental Problems
Sanitization of tooth brush is important since tooth brush is the store house of millions of bacteria which may lead to infectious diseases.Some times you may also catch reinfection from the diseases like mouth infection or cold since the bacterias from these diseases may accumulate on your tooth brush.
Most people think that tooth brushes are protected from germs or microbes if the head of the tooth brush is placed inside a cap or the tooth brush itself inside a closed container.Actually the closed containers have moisture that itself create an environment that helps for the replication of bacterias or microbes.Therefore, never cover your tooth brush in a closed cap or container.
Bacteria Sources on tooth brush
- Bacterias in your oral cavity
- Microbes from the environment
- Tooth brush packages itself doesn’t have any sterile requirements to free the tooth brush from microbes.
Tooth brush sanitizing methods
- There are tooth brush sanitizers that are available in the market which is very effective in killing 99% of microbes on your tooth brush.
- Immersing your tooth brush for around 20 minutes in any antibacterial solution or Listerine (An antiseptic mouth wash) is also helpful in killing bacterias.
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admin on August 6th 2009 in Dental health care
For your dental health, toothbrush has got greater importance than a tooth paste as suggested by the dentists.The selection criteria for the toothbrush for most people is its design and color.But these has got no importance in cleansing your teeth as claimed by the toothbrush manufacturers.
The most popular disbelief among the people is about the powered or electric tooth brush, in which they think that the electric tooth brush will help in better cleansing of the teeth.Actually powered tooth brush will make the process easier but there is no evidence to suggest that they are significantly better at cleaning your teeth than a normal tooth brush.
Selecting a tooth brush
- Buy tooth brush which have soft bristles since hard bristles will tend to cause gingival recession.Soft bristles are flexible and helps to clean beneath the gingival margin and also protect your gums from damaging.
- The head of the tooth brush must be small that helps you to clean all areas of the teeth and inner mouth with much ease.
- The handle should allow comfortable gripping
- The shape of the neck or handle does not play any significant role in the quality of the toothbrush eventhough as it is claimed by the manufacturers.
- Powered tooth brush doesn’t have any advantage over manual tooth brush.Powered or electric tooth brush should be used for handicapped or bedridden patients,children etc.So this kind of tooth brush is selected on mere personal choice.
Replacing a tooth brush
- A tooth brush must be replaced every 3 months or when the bristles start to wear, which ever comes first.
- Overzealous brushing especially by children must be discouraged as it causes the bristles to wear off and moreover it causes gingival recession, bacteremia, painful ulceration of the gingiva.
- There are a few color coded tooth brushes in the market which indicates the replacement time for toothbrushes by fading the color.The color code in the tooth brush is produced by a dye.
- An another important point to remember is that you have to replace your tooth brush after you were infected with infections like cold,flu,sore throat or mouth infection.The microbes can accumulate on the brush leading to reinfection.
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admin on August 6th 2009 in Dental health care
