Am I A Good Candidate For Dental Implants?

If you’ve heard about or have been researching periodontal disease, it’s understandable that you may be concerned about possibly developing it. Periodontal disease can cause serious oral health issues, including gum recession, deep pockets of bacteria and pus between your teeth, spaces between your teeth, bone loss, and even tooth loss. But there is a way to prevent this condition from occurring. Here are some tips from San Diego periodontist Dr. Beck on how to prevent periodontal disease.

• Schedule Regular Visits with a Periodontist

Unlike a general dentist, a periodontist has advanced training in the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of periodontal disease. In order to prevent yourself from developing this oral health condition, Dr. Beck recommends San Diego patients visit a periodontist on a regular basis for a thorough examination of your gums and overall oral health.

• Never Forget to Practice Proper Oral Hygiene

When it comes to preventing periodontal disease, any periodontist will tell you that practicing proper oral hygiene between dental appointments is key. This means patients should always brush their teeth twice a day, floss at least once a day, and maybe even us additional techniques like water picking or go-betweens (AKA “proxy brushes”). And if you notice any complications, like redness or bleeding of your gums, seek treatment from a periodontist immediately.

• If You Have Gingivitis, See a Periodontist Now

Gingivitis is the beginning stage of periodontal disease. If your San Diego general dentist has told you that you have gingivitis, it’s time to take action. Schedule an appointment with periodontist Dr. Beck so she can thoroughly examine and diagnose you, and take preventive measures, possibly including treatment, to prevent the disease from progressing.

• Don’t Avoid Scaling and Root Planing

If your San Diego general dentist has told you that you need scaling and root planing (sometimes referred to as a ‘deep cleaning’), and you’re wondering if it’s the right treatment for you, schedule an appointment with a periodontist like Dr. Beck today. If scaling and root planing has been recommended to you more than once, then don’t delay and find someone you can trust will do it well. This procedure is very successful for many patients to remove the dangerous bacteria from your tooth roots, deep below the gum lines, preventing severe bone loss in the future. Successful scaling and root planing can save you from needing more invasive and expensive surgical procedures in the future!

Trust Us to Help You Prevent Periodontal Disease

While Dr. Beck is trained at performing advanced procedures to treat periodontal disease, her true passion is to help her patients from ever requiring these advanced treatment options. That’s why she is always welcoming new patients who believe they are showing signs of gingivitis or periodontal disease; to stop the disease in its tracks before it causes more serious oral health problems.

In addition to following the above prevention tips, you should never hesitate to schedule an appointment with a trusted periodontist if your general dentist has recommended it. Early treatment can prevent the need for more invasive procedures, and help save your gum tissue, bone tissue, and even your permanent teeth.

If you think you need to see a periodontist, call us today! You’ll be glad you did! Schedule an appointment with us today by contacting our office in San Diego at (858) 635-6700.

If your San Diego dentist has referred you to Southern California Periodontics & Implantology, you might be wondering, “Why do I need to see a periodontist? What can they do for me that my dentist can’t?” There are many reasons why patients may be referred to see Dr. Beck, but the simple answer is because as a Board Certified Periodontist, Dr. Beck is highly specialized in surgical and non-surgical therapies to restore health to the gum and bone surrounding your teeth. She has spent 3 additional years studying full time, learning the intricate biology of the bone, ligaments, and gum supporting the teeth. Completing a 3 year residency program in advanced periodontics, as well as a master’s degree in biomedical science, Dr. Beck is well-versed in all the different conditions, infections, and diseases that can compromise your oral health.

Periodontists are the specialists in diagnosing and treating gum disease (technically called periodontitis), which is an oral health condition that can damage both the gums and bone surrounding your teeth, ultimately leading to tooth loss. Periodontists are highly trained surgeons who are also experts in oral surgical procedures including tooth extractions, bone grafting, dental implant placement, as well as various cosmetic oral surgical procedures. Here’s a list of just some of the conditions that Dr. Beck specializes in treating.

1. Periodontitis

Most San Diego residents have heard of gingivitis before, if not from their dentist or dental hygienist, then perhaps from toothpaste or toothbrush commercials. What many don’t realize though, is that when left untreated, gingivitis can turn into periodontitis, a serious oral health condition that can lead to chronic inflammation of the gum and bone around the teeth, often resulting in tooth loss. This is why periodontists like Dr. Beck complete specialty training programs; to help general dentists in the diagnosis, treatment, and ongoing management of these conditions to help prevent tooth loss.

Not only is Dr. Beck the specialist to diagnose periodontitis, but she is also a specialist in all the most current technology and procedures to treat it. During new patient consultations, Dr. Beck performs a through examination, and discusses your unique condition and all your treatment options. If you are found to have periodontitis, treatment may include a special deep cleaning called scaling and root planing (which removes the harmful bacteria from underneath your gums and from the roots of your teeth), or a minor surgical procedure like regeneration with bone grafting or stem cell-stimulating proteins called growth factors.

2. Replacement of Missing Teeth with Dental Implants

There are many reasons why people lose teeth or require tooth extractions In the past, the only way to replace missing teeth was either with dentures or bridges, but recent improvements in technology allow us to use dental implants to replace wither just one or several teeth. Dental implants replace the root of a tooth and attaches to the bone beneath the gum tissue, stimulating bone growth and prevents bone resorption. Attached to the implants are crowns, like you might have on a natural tooth. Or if multiple teeth are missing, sometimes just 4-6 implants can be used to replace a whole arch! While many dentists claim to be trained to place dental implants, only a board certified surgeon like Dr. Beck has completed the rigorous surgical training to ensure a successful future with your new implants.

3. Cosmetic Gum Surgery

Some San Diego residents are dissatisfied with the “gummy” appearance of their smile, or lack of sufficient gum causing the exposure of too much tooth when they laugh or smile. A minor surgical procedure called Esthetic Crown Lengthening is when excess gum tissue is removed, exposing the full natural teeth underneath. As a patient who has had this procedure done herself and has personally experienced how easy and painless the recovery is, Dr. Beck couldn’t be more excited to talk to her patients about their gummy smile correction. Correction of too much tooth exposure is a little more complicated and there are numerous treatment options. If you are concerned about gum recession or your toothy smile, Dr. Beck would be happy to discuss your concerns and various treatment options.

Call Us Today to Schedule an Appointment

Whether your general dentist has referred you to us, or you have a condition you think Dr. Beck can help you with, we would love to meet you and discuss your concerns. Contact our office in San Diego today to schedule an initial appointment at (858) 635-6700.

If you’ve been told you have periodontal disease, or suspect you have it, you need to see a periodontist like San Diego’s Dr. Beck as soon as possible. The simple truth is that untreated periodontal disease can have significant consequences for your oral health and your overall systemic well-being. Here are 5 consequences of not treating periodontal disease.

1. Gum Recession

Since periodontal disease is a disease of the bone and gum around the teeth, it can significantly impact them. In fact, if you don’t see a periodontist to treat your condition, you may experience severe gum recession that may severely impact the appearance of your smile. As periodontal disease remains untreated, it will continue to erode the bone around your teeth, allowing them to move and shift positions, sometimes resulting in an unsightly ‘snaggletooth’.

2. Chronic Bad Breath

Nobody wants bad breath. That’s part of the reason why San Diego residents brush their teeth daily, floss, waterpik, use mouthwash, chew gum, and consume breath mints. But if you have periodontal disease, and don’t see a periodontist for proper diagnosis and treatment, you can develop chronic bad breath that just won’t go away – no matter what you do on your own. This smelly situation is caused by a build up of bacteria under the gum, that can lead to a pus-filled abscess! A board-certified periodontist like Dr. Beck can treat these conditions, giving you the confidence to smile big and have intimate conversations without the fear and embarrassment of bad breath. 

3. Developing Spaces Between Your Teeth

Some patients who have advanced periodontal disease start to notice that their teeth become loose and begin to move, leaving spaces between them. This is due to the erosion and infection of the bone and gum around the teeth. Don’t let periodontal disease destroy your beautiful smile. See a periodontist for treatment today.

4. Bone Loss

Periodontal disease can cause problems more serious than just pocketing and gum loss. It can actually cause bone around your teeth to breakdown. If you begin losing bone, you’ll require a periodontal regenerative surgical procedure from a San Diego periodontist called a bone graft to help “regrow” the damaged bone around your teeth. But of course, you may be able to prevent this condition from developing by seeking early treatment.

5. Losing Permanent Teeth

Nobody wants to lose a permanent tooth, but if left untreated, periodontal disease can cause so much damage to the bone around teeth that it is not fixable and the tooth requires removal. With advanced bone loss, teeth become so loose they become uncomfortable to chew with, and become non-functional to the point that periodontist Dr. Beck needs to remove them. To avoid this situation, seek out Dr. Beck’s help at the first sign that you have periodontal disease. She can identify the early signs of bone loss and treat it before it becomes so severe that it requires removal.

Seeking Treatment from Our Practice

At Southern California Periodontics & Implantology, we want to make sure you have the best oral health, overall health, and best quality of life possible. That’s why Dr. Beck performs such thorough evaluations of her San Diego patients to ensure she is properly identifying and diagnosing the earliest stages of periodontal disease, and providing and effect treatment plan for their unique case.

If you’ve been told you have periodontal disease or suspect you have it, all hope is not lost. Dr. Beck can help prevent these 5 consequences of leaving periodontal disease untreated. The first step is to schedule an appointment with Dr. Beck for a consultation. Call our office in San Diego today at (858) 635-6700.