At our periodontal practice, we focus on helping patients protect their gums because healthy gums are essential to a healthy smile. While brushing, flossing and routine dental visits are well-known tools in preventing gum disease, there is another natural defense that often goes unnoticed: saliva production. Saliva is not just... Read more » We all want a healthy smile—and for many people, that means brushing vigorously to keep teeth squeaky clean. But when it comes to gum health, brushing too hard can actually do more harm than good. At our periodontic practice, we often see patients with early signs of gum recession, and... Read more » Our periodontist commonly performs frenectomies on patients of a variety of ages, and this minor surgical procedure alters the oral structure for the better. The frenum is connective tissue in the mouth that has three main categories. These include the buccal frenum connecting the gum tissue to the inside of... Read more » A healthy smile is not just about your teeth. In fact, without your gums to keep your teeth in place, your smile would be, well, toothless. Periodontal disease (also known as gum disease) affects not only your oral health but your overall health, and research increasingly shows that the two... Read more » When patients come in with damaged or missing teeth, dental implants are often an excellent solution. But sometimes implants aren’t an option for those with insufficient bone height in the top jaw, or if the sinuses are too close to the jaw. For these patients to receive successful dental implantation,... Read more » There are times when a permanent adult tooth may need to be pulled whether it’s due to a severely decayed tooth, infected tooth pulp, severe gum disease or to make room for braces (to prevent overcrowding). A tooth might also be extracted if someone is going to have an organ... Read more » Crown lengthening is a common procedure done under local anesthesia to remove or reshape gum tissue, bone (or both) to expose more of the remaining tooth or teeth. It can be performed on one or more teeth on the gum line. This treatment is often recommended if you have a... Read more » When it comes to taking care of the oral tissues, one of the things that often comes up is a frenectomy. This dental surgical procedure is done to remove a section of the frenulum, that small fold of mucous membrane which joins the floor of the mouth to the midline... Read more » Periodontal (gum) disease is the number one cause of bone loss in the mouth. If you are experiencing gum disease, you can have chronic bacterial infections that impact your gum tissue as well as the supportive bone material underneath. Once plaque (the sticky bacterial film in the mouth) reaches beneath... Read more » A habit of poor oral hygiene often leads to dangerous amounts of tartar on your gum line, which is a common cause of gum disease. This periodontal infection needs to be treated early on to reduce inflammation before it causes your gums to recede from the teeth and create harmful... Read more »