Doctor Charles Betts on gum disease treatment
First of all, about 80 percent of adults in the US have some degree of periodontal disease. The need is widespread. When we find periodontal disease, our goal is to get that under control and eliminate that infection from the body. And what we do now is we do a sample of the bacteria in the mouth, we place that on a slide and use a phase contrast microscope to allow both ourselves and the patient to see what’s going on in their mouth. Quite frankly, when a lot of people see that, they just say, “Get that out of my mouth.” Anyway, we also do bacterial DNA testing so that we can actually have a concrete record of what bacteria are present. And therefore our treatment is guided.
We’re not treating every case the same, because people have different infections in their mouth. And some of that can be systemic antibiotics, it will be irrigation with ultrasonics under the gum, and of course just regular oral care techniques, flossing, brushing, using other interdental aides to take care of that plaque that accumulates. We like to know that we’re getting to the root of the infection. We like to know that we really want to solve this person’s problem. They come to us for service, and we want to provide that service.