Non‑surgical periodontal treatment
Non‑surgical periodontal treatment is the first approach to fight periodontitis. It aims to eliminate the underlying cause through an etiological periodontal approach. Your periodontist strengthens your oral hygiene techniques, removes tartar, and performs root planing across your entire mouth.
After this initial phase, and with good oral hygiene, your gums strengthen, shrink, and reattach to the teeth. The depth of periodontal pockets decreases, thus reducing the risks of inflammation and disease progression.
Personalized plaque control reinforcement
The goal of non‑surgical periodontal treatment is to reduce bacterial presence and limit inflammation.
Your periodontist first explains the causes of periodontitis and guides you on optimal hygiene practices to preserve the health of your teeth and gums. You receive personalized advice on the best use of maintenance products:
- Appropriate brushing techniques
- Use of dental floss
- Use of interdental brushes
Full scale cleaning and root planing
Your periodontist removes all bacterial deposits and tartar present on your teeth and their roots. Ultrasonic tools and small manual instruments are used under the gums for deep cleaning. Then, they polish the tooth surfaces and remove overhanging dental restorations or prostheses, thus facilitating oral maintenance.
Adjunctive antibiotic treatment
In some cases, antibiotic therapy accompanies non‑surgical periodontal treatment. Your periodontist may prescribe these medications, with or without microbiological testing, to fight active or persistent infections. However, antibiotics are never used alone: they are always combined with mechanical non‑surgical treatment.
Microbial testing and additional analyses
Depending on your situation, specific analyses allow refining the diagnosis and evaluating your response to treatment.
Periodontal reassessment after 2 months
About two months after the start of the non‑surgical periodontal treatment, your periodontist performs a comprehensive assessment of your gums. Using a periodontal probe, they measure the depth of periodontal pockets and check for bleeding. If some pockets persist, they may recommend complementary treatment options, such as periodontal surgery.
Periodontal maintenance
Once the disease is treated, supportive or maintenance treatment is essential to preserve periodontal health.
These sessions allow control and prevention of new pocket formation. They permit deep cleaning to improve hygiene techniques and reduce plaque and deposits hard to reach for patients. These maintenance sessions typically occur every three to four months.
Periodontal disease is treatable. The key to success is to follow the treatments recommended by your periodontist and remove the bacterial plaque that can trigger disease progression via good oral hygiene.