Periodontal (gum) Care
Our Colombia-trained Periodontist supervises a comprehensive soft-tissue management program. Our motto is “Teeth For a Lifetime”.
Recently Dr. Lam sent out a letter to dentists expressing her concern about the links between periodontal disease and many serious health problems. It is excerpted below:
Research within the last decade has shown that Periodontitis is a risk factor for some systemic disease such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, and preterm
low-birth weight infants. Patients with severe Periodontitis (estimated between 5-10% of
the general population) are twice as likely to have a heart attack and three time as likely to have a stroke compared to patients without periodontal disease after adjusting for risk factors such as blood lipids, cholesterol, body mass, diabetes, and smoking. Mothers with significant periodontal disease had a 7.5 fold increase in the risk of having a preterm, low-birth weight baby.
Here are some links to other websites should you wish to learn more about this.
From the American Dental Association:
http://www.ada.org/prof/resources/topics/oralsystemic.asp
http://www.ada.org/prof/resources/pubs/adanews/adanewsarticle.asp?articleid=1815
From the American Association of Periodontology:
http://www.perio.org/consumer/mbc.top2.htm
From a joint consensus/forum by the American Dental Association and the American Medical Association:
How To Care For Your Mouth After Periodontal Surgery
- Food: Don’t eat for one hour after the surgery. Limit yourself to a semi-solid diet and avoid excessively hot food for the first day. After this period, you may return to your regular diet. Avoid chewing on the operated area.
- Dressing: Try not to move the dressing. It should stay in place until your next appointment. If parts or all of it comes off, the area may be irritated. If there is no sensitivity in the area, it will not require attention. Start the Peridex rinse immediately if the dressing falls off.
- Bleeding: For the first 24 hours, try to avoid rinsing, expectorating, or drinking liquids through a straw. These actions may cause bleeding. It’s normal to see some slight oozing of blood around the dressing. If it’s severe or lasts more than a few hours, do this: fold a piece of gauze into several thicknesses or use a teabag. Dip the gauze or teabag into cold water and press it against the part of the dressing where you see the blood. Keep it there for a full 20 minutes. Do not remove it during the 20 minutes to examine it. You may need to repeat this procedure more than once.
- Swelling: You may notice some swelling of your face within 24-72 hours after surgery. You can help keep it down by applying ice to the outside of your face right after the surgery. Use an ice bag or a piece of ice wrapped in a towel. Hold it against the outside of your face -20 minutes on, 20 minutes off. Use the ice only on the day and the day after surgery. After that, it won’t help.
- HYGIENE: Don’t brush the area of the surgery but brush all of your other teeth normally. Remove food debris from the dressing with a moist Q-tip and with rinsing. It is very important that you keep you mouth clean after the surgery for proper healing.
- Discomfort: Take the pain medication as directed. If you have not received a prescription, you can take any over-the-counter medication that you prefer EXCEPT ASPIRIN. Aspirin will cause bleeding. Chloraseptic held in the mouth for 30-60 sounds will relieve soreness.
- Activities: You may follow your regular daily activities, avoiding excessive exertion of any type for the first three days after the surgery. No swimming.
- Smoking: Refrain from smoking as it will delay healing.
- Contact the office if: There is excessive bleeding, pain for prolong periods, marked swelling.
top