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What is periodontal scraping and what is it for?

Periodontal disease is an inflammatory disease that can affect the gum tissue and the bone around the teeth. There are three stages of the disease: gingivitis, periodontitis and advanced periodontitis.

It arises mainly from the accumulation of bacterial plaque and tartar on the teeth and if the disease is not controlled, over time it can lead to deterioration of the tissues that support the teeth. As a result, dental implants may be necessary due to tooth loss.

Red gums are a warning sign

Bacterial activity releases toxins that inflame the gums and cause redness and bleeding. If not initially controlled, the gums take on the shape of pockets (called periodontal pockets) and make room for plaque and tartar to form on the tooth root.

It is therefore at this point that periodontal scraping of this material becomes necessary to avoid more serious problems, such as the tooth softening and falling out.

dental scraping

Deep periodontal treatment

However, periodontal scraping is a procedure that aims to mechanically remove tartar buildup at the level of the tooth root and helps to control and prevent the progression of periodontal disease.

Periodontal scraping and smoothing of the tooth and root removes the material that causes bacterial activity, allowing the gums to heal and return to their normal position. It is therefore done manually with the aid of specific instruments or ultrasonic vibration.

In most cases, the procedure is carried out under local anesthesia to avoid pain and discomfort for the patient, who usually already has sensitive and inflamed gums. It may be necessary to carry out more than one session in order to remove them completely.

It all depends on the stage of the disease. However, after treatment, patients are advised to take care of their oral hygiene to prevent the disease from reappearing and to return to the dentist’s office more often.

Gum scraping serves as the basis for other dental treatments

However, before having dental treatment we need to make sure that the gums are healthy and that there are no more sources of infection in the teeth. That’s why a dental cleaning and often a gum scraping is always recommended before your main dental treatment:

If you have any questions about the treatment or the price, please make an appointment or contact us. We at ImplArt Dental Clinic will be happy to help you.

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Gum grafting to improve the aesthetics of teeth

What is gum grafting?

Gum grafting is used to try and reconstruct an area of the mouth that has suffered from receding or lost gum tissue. Gum recession can occur due, for example, to brushing too hard, gum disease, bruxism or prolonged use of braces. To reduce the effect of the problem, gum grafting is usually indicated.

This is a surgical procedure that consists of removing a piece of mucosa from the patient’s own palate (roof of the mouth) and then placing it over the defect. The material is removed under local anesthesia and the person feels no pain, only slight discomfort.

Update: It is now possible to perform gum grafting without removing gum from the roof of the mouth, using a synthetic material for this purpose.

When healthy, the gums form a protective collar around the tooth. There are two types of gum: the inserted gum, which is a pink, thicker tissue that surrounds the tooth and is adhered to by the bone tissue, and the mucosa (non-inserted gum), a thin, soft and highly mobile tissue that forms the inside of the cheeks and lips. When the gums are unhealthy, we first need to restore their health by removing the bacteria with a periodontal scraping.

Gum defect needs grafting

A gingival defect (receding gums) usually occurs as a result of gum inflammation, caused by a tooth fracture for example. It happens when the gum tissue retracts, almost always due to excessive force when brushing the teeth. The retraction of the gum tissue leaves the tooth root exposed, causing tooth sensitivity and compromising the aesthetics of the teeth. In the case of dental implants, receding gums can expose the base of the implants.

There can also be gum loss due to trauma, accidents or periodontal disease. In these cases, the gums lose their original shape and the aesthetics of the smile can be compromised, especially in the area of the front teeth. In some cases, the placement of dental implants leaves the gums with an inappropriate shape, and this defect can also be corrected with the gum grafting technique.

It is important to note that the gingival grafting procedure does not guarantee success. Even if the procedure is carried out perfectly in terms of technique, there may be tissue necrosis and a consequent loss of the grafted tissue.

gum grafting

After gum surgery

To prevent pain, the patient uses medication (anti-inflammatories) before and after surgery. The dentist can also use “surgical cement”, a protective barrier that is fixed in place where the operation took place. It sticks to the teeth and gums for around five days.

The donor area is not left unprotected after the procedure, as it is sutured (stitched) and this protection helps to maintain its aesthetics and shape, even after a small piece has been removed. Among the main precautions after gum surgery, diet is the most important. The patient should follow the post-surgical recommendations, which are the same as for implant surgery, eating soft, cold food for the first few days to avoid bleeding, infections, and to help with analgesia and healing.

Acidic foods should also be avoided so as not to irritate or sting the gums. As an alternative to gum grafts, prostheses can be made to disguise the aesthetic problem, either with more favorable tooth shapes or with prostheses containing artificial gum. Each case is assessed individually.

If you have any questions about gum grafting, treatments or treatment prices, please contact our team. We at ImplArt Dental Clinic are happy to help you.

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Alternatives to dental bone grafting

Dental bone grafting is a subject that often generates a lot of doubts and even fear in patients. It is a technique indicated for reconstructing bone structures in the mandible and maxilla when patients have little volume or defects, especially those who wish to place dental implants.

Implants without dental bone graft: are there alternatives?

However, every patient is assessed individually. And today we have new techniques for bone grafting. In fact, for some, the indication of bone grafting is inevitable, while for others, there are alternatives to grafting, such as:

  • Short implants (little vertical bone volume)
  • Small diameter pins (little horizontal bone volume)
  • Roxolid Straumann reinforced titanium implants (smaller and stronger)
  • Implant + simultaneous graft
  • Bone micrografts or small grafts
  • All on four” technique for full arches
  • Inclined implants
  • Zygomatic implant
  • Guided surgeries with short or tilted implants
Short and narrow grafts can be an alternative to dental bone grafting techniques
Short and narrow grafts can be an alternative to bone grafting techniques

Small bone grafts or micrografts are alternatives to bone grafts

ImplArt Odontologia’s philosophy is to avoid bone grafts as much as possible and has mastered alternative techniques to avoid their use whenever possible. By avoiding dental bone grafting, treatment becomes faster and the patient undergoes fewer surgical steps. However, nowadays bone grafts are small and very restricted to the implant site. In the past, only large grafts were performed.

That’s why the micrograft technique is better and has less pain after surgery. Dental implants without grafting before and after Dr. Roberto Markarian, the clinic’s coordinator, is an experienced dental implant specialist with more than a thousand implants installed, and cases of before and after implants.

Read more: Immediate implants

Thanks to its extensive clinical and surgical experience, ImplArt has been able to treat countless cases without bone grafts – which may have been indicated by other specialists. The indication of techniques depends on a thorough examination of the patient, as well as their tests, such as CT scans and X-rays.

If you have them, come to your assessment appointment with all your tests. If you don’t have them, for your convenience they can be carried out in our digital radiology center inside the clinic (at a separate cost).

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