If you are missing teeth or if we have discussed tooth removal with you as a result of periodontal disease, dental implants can dramatically improve the function and beauty of your smile.

Whether you are missing one tooth, more than one tooth with teeth in between, or several teeth in a row, dental implants may offer a permanent solution that you can smile about.

What Are Dental Implants?

Dental implants are titanium post teeth that one of our periodontists will surgically place into your jawbone. A single dental implant tooth is a free-standing, independent structure that relies on the strength of your jawbone. After consultation with you and your dentist, we will place one or more titanium posts into your jawbone to act as your replacement tooth “roots.” The top of those posts will then be restored according to your needs and preferences.

What Can I Expect?

Our team will fully prepare you for dental implant surgery by answering all of your questions and setting your mind at ease. We will take a full scan of your oral structure, utilizing advanced technology, such as a cone beam imagining CT scan. Once we map out the exact placement for the posts, the implants are placed. The fusing of your bone to the post may take several months. Once healing is complete, begin prosthetic placement.

Am I a Good Candidate?

If you have one missing tooth or several missing teeth, you are a good candidate for dental implants. However, there are other factors that determine whether implant surgery is right for you. Because implants rely on the strength of your jawbone, our team will need to determine that your bone is strong enough for posts. If you have Bone Loss, we may need to discuss bone regeneration, as well as other prosthetic options to help you regain your function, oral health, and a beautiful smile. Certain systemic conditions can affect one’s ability to receive dental implants.

Our periodontists, Dr. Comeaux and Dr. Pearson, have specialized training in treating periodontal diseases using both surgical and non-surgical treatments, as well as placing and maintaining implants.

We pride ourselves on connecting with you as an individual, taking your dental needs and personal experience to heart in equal measure.

What Is Periodontal Treatment?

Periodontal treatment is the treatment of conditions that affect the tissues which surround, support and maintain the teeth. It is important to realize that implants, too, can be affected by these same conditions. Treatment can range from something as simple as instruction in plaque removal from around teeth or implants to non-surgical treatment, or to various surgical treatments. Predictable treatment requires accurate diagnosis, and we employ a variety of technologies, including operating microscopes, periodontal micro-endoscopes, the Florida Probe, dental cone beam C.T. scans and digital impressions, to aid the diagnostic process.

What Types of Treatments Do You Provide?

At Periodontics Associates, we offer a wide variety of treatments to address your issues. Our goal is not only to see you through treatment with a return to oral health, but to help you regain full function and a gorgeous smile. Contact us today to make an appointment or to ask questions regarding the treatments we offer, including:

• Soft Tissue Grafts
• Crown Lengthening
• Dental Implants
• Pocket Reduction Surgical, and Non-Surgical when possible
• Bone Regeneration

What Are the Benefits of Treatment?

Periodontal disease, including gingivitis and periodontitis, may seem like minor discomfort at first, but allowing disease to progress can cause devastating consequences. Whether you just noticed inflammation, know you need gum grafting, or are simply concerned about troubling symptoms, come see us. The sooner we treat you, the greater your likelihood of regaining your mouth’s full health without permanent damage.

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When you come into our office for periodontal disease, the basis of your problem nearly always stems from plaque build-up. If you catch plaque buildup early, either through your own oral hygiene or with cleanings from your general dentist, you can avoid most periodontal disease.

However, if you have gingivitis or a more advanced form of gum disease, you may need a deeper cleaning, referred to as root planing and scaling.

What Is Root Planing and Scaling?

The “deep cleaning” performed by a periodontist is called root planing and scaling. Scaling is the part of the process that includes the use of professional periodontal tools to remove hardened plaque and tartar buildup from your teeth. During root planing, our periodontist will smooth areas of your teeth and root surface that have eroded to help remove areas where plaque and bacteria may hide.

How Does the Treatment Work?

When you have periodontal disease, the bacteria in plaque buildup release toxins. These secretions irritate your gums, which become inflamed and pull away from your teeth. The enlarged space between your gums and teeth accumulates plaque, which hardens onto your teeth. Root planing and scaling works to remove this diseased buildup. A local anesthetic is administered when needed. Depending on the severity of the problem, we may be able to address your entire mouth in one visit or may require up to four visits, working on one quadrant of your mouth at a time.

In addition, for enlarged gum spaces, known as pocket formation, particularly those that exceed 5mm, we may elect to use Perioscopy. This advanced technology allows us to use a miniature dental endoscope within your gum pockets for a greatly enhanced view of microscopic details beneath your gumline which provides a better chance of removing the buildup from the root surface. Full removal of buildup and disease is essential to eliminating bacteria and resolving infection. Perioscopy is minimally invasive. Local anesthetic will address any associated discomfort. Perio One is the only periodontal practice in Louisiana that uses this advanced technology.

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Unlike traditional CT scans, which can stir up some anxiety for patients who are not even the least claustrophobic, our advanced technology is patient-friendly.

What Is a CT Scan?

By definition, a CT scan (which stands for computerized tomography) is the combination of X-rays taken from multiple views to form a cross-section image. At our offices, we use advanced 3D cone beam imaging technology. Often referred to as 3D CT scanning or cone beam imaging, this form of scanning creates a more thorough view of your oral structure than its 2D predecessor.

What Are the Benefits of Cone Beam CT Scans?

Choosing a CT scan over traditional X-rays is beneficial to periodontal treatment because it gives our team a comprehensive understanding of what is happening in every portion of your oral cavity and its surrounding tissue. Unlike the flat slices of images we achieve with traditional CT scans, with cone beam images, we get a complete view of your teeth, gums, and bones from an external and internal perspective. If you’re still not sure you feel comfortable with a CT scan, consider the benefits:

• Our periodontists can look at your teeth and surrounding structures from any angle for a truly thorough exam.
• We can quickly find sources of discomfort hidden from the naked eye, making for more efficient visits.
• We use the images as a blueprint for creating and placing prosthetics, such as dental implants.
• Cone beam imaging CT scans offer low radiation.
• The high-resolution images provide a detailed visual of your oral structures.
• Unlike “closed” scanning systems, cone beam CT systems are “open air” so you never feel closed in.
• A full scan may complete within just under nine seconds for an efficient, low-anxiety experience.

We avoid the potential for inaccuracy by relying on advanced digital technology instead.

What Are Digital Impressions?

A digital impression is a process by which our periodontist takes an image of your tooth or teeth with a 3D digital scanner. With advanced camera optics technology, our team scans your teeth with a small device that fits comfortably in your mouth. We will send the images to a lab, where the rendering is turned into a model of your mouth. This model is essential when we need to create prosthetics to fit your mouth, such as dental implants, dentures, or bridges.

What Are the Benefits of Digital Impressions?

The older method of taking impressions was time-consuming and often uncomfortable for the patient. A periodontist would fill horseshoe-shaped metal trays with a thick, putty-like substance. The doctor pressed the trays over the top and/or bottom teeth, would allow the product to set for several minutes, and then removed the trays. In addition to inaccuracies that occurred as a result of this imprecise practice, patients with a gag reflex often had trouble comfortably keeping the trays in their mouths. Digital impressions are more precise and more comfortable than older methods. This type of impression is also mess-free and fast, unlike conventional impressions, which require a labor-intensive process to create a plaster mock-up.

Am I a Good Candidate?

If you need periodontal surgery or treatment and our team requires a model of your teeth, digital impressions may benefit your experience. You will find you make a particularly good candidate for this advanced technology if one or more of the following apply to you:

• You have a quick gag-reflex
• You are experiencing a periodontal infection, which traditional impressions may disturb
• You are claustrophobic
• Your issue requires immediate treatment, including the creation of prosthetics

Gingival Graft Microsurgery Treats Gum Recession

If you have receding gums from gum disease or other oral health problems that are affecting your smile, you may be a good candidate for microsurgical gingival grafting. This is a minimally invasive technique that can restore the gum line by transferring gum tissue with minimal trauma to the area. It is a very gentle technique and can be effective for covering exposed roots and preventing future gum recession. We have been providing periodontal microsurgery for twenty years and are the only periodontal office to do so.

Benefits of Microsurgery

Gingival graft microsurgery is very effective for covering up exposed roots. If you have very sensitive teeth or gaps between your teeth because of gum recession, you may be a good candidate for gingival microsurgery. This is a safe, effective, and minimally-invasive procedure that produces lasting results. Patients get the treatment they need with minimal discomfort and can return to their normal routine fairly quickly. The healing process is relatively fast and this procedure produces very predictable results.

What to Expect with Microsurgery

The microsurgery procedure involves separating a very thin piece of connective tissue underneath the skin and transplanting it over the exposed root. No open wounds are made, so there is little discomfort to the patient. The procedure is very precise and gentle, causing little disruption to the tissues. The healing time is much shorter than traditional gum grafting surgery.

Our team is prepared to guide you on your path back toward full oral health and comfort, no matter the extent of your disease, from mild to severe.

What Is Periodontal Surgery?

Periodontal surgery is any surgical procedure that addresses periodontal disease, such as gingivitis or periodontitis. If you suffer from a disease that is untreatable with non-surgical treatments or if your disease is resolved but has left permanent damage, periodontal surgery helps rectify these problems. Fortunately, through advanced imaging technology and the use of surgical lasers, we can achieve precise, efficient procedures.

The surgeries we perform at Periodontics Associates include the following:

• Tooth replacement, a process in which we use prosthetics, such as dental implants, to replace missing teeth
• Pocket reduction, a procedure that minimizes enlarged gum pockets along your gumline that have formed as a result of disease, such as periodontitis
• Soft tissue grafts, a surgery that commonly treats gum recession, bringing your gumline back down to a healthy position
• Bone regeneration, a procedure that helps rebuild missing or damaged bone as a result of periodontal disease

What Are the Benefits of Periodontal Surgery?

It can help you to maintain your teeth and can eliminate pockets of infection.

At Periodontal Associates, our team provides crown lengthening for smiles that appear “gummy” and as a first step in exposing more of your natural tooth when restoring it from periodontal disease.

What Is Crown Lengthening?

Crown lengthening is a treatment in which the gumline will be repositioned to extend the length of your crown, to improve aesthetic or to help prepare the teeth for crowns.

If you’re ready to replace your missing tooth or teeth for a full, beautiful smile that’s as functional as it is attractive, speak with our team about tooth replacement options.

Are you missing teeth as a result of gum disease? Even one empty space in your mouth can cause feelings of embarrassment and discomfort while chewing and speaking.

At Periodontics Associates, we are as concerned with bringing your mouth back to full function and aesthetic brilliance as we are with treating underlying diseases and removing infection. If your bones are strong and healthy, we may choose to replace your tooth with a dental implant. Or, if you have weak or damaged bones, our team may first rebuild your bone through bone restoration before considering implants.

We will perform a thorough examination and will use digital imaging, such as a CT scan, for a more detailed look at your oral structure. We will then discuss your options with you and create a plan tailored to completing your smile for a natural finish.

What Are the Benefits of Tooth Replacement?

Tooth loss is a common effect of periodontal disease. As plaque hardens on your teeth and moves deeper into your gums and surrounding tissue, the result often includes the deterioration of soft tissue and bone. Once the healthy support for your teeth diminishes, teeth become loose and either fall out or require surgical removal to restore your mouth to good health. Though you may have achieved a mouth free of plaque and disease, sometimes additional work is required to bring your mouth back to full function. Consider the following benefits of replacing missing teeth if you’re not sure whether tooth replacement is right for you:

• Improved speaking
• A complete, beautiful smile you can feel proud to reveal
• Comfortable, effective chewing for enjoyable eating and better nutrition
• Prevention of misaligned teeth, which often occurs as your bite shifts in response to a missing tooth

Are you visiting our team at Periodontics Associates for pocket formation as a result of periodontal disease?

If the healthy point at which your gums meet your teeth has enlarged and a space has formed, you may need corrective surgery. This enlarged space or “pocket” quickly traps plaque and harmful bacteria. Even if our periodontist has cleaned the area, such as with root planing and scaling, you may have a disfigured gumline.

What Is Pocket Reduction?

Pocket reduction, also known as flap surgery, is a procedure in which we decrease the size of the gum pocket so that your gums fit snugly against your teeth.

What Are the Benefits?

The benefits are the retention of teeth and the elimination of pockets of infection.

Sometimes when your gums pull away from your teeth as a result of periodontal disease and suturing them back into place is not an option, soft tissue grafts are used to extend your gumline by using healthy tissue to protect exposed teeth.

What Are Soft Tissue Grafts?

A soft tissue graft is a transplant of healthy gum tissue from other portions of your mouth to address an area suffering from gum recession.

What Are the Benefits?

It can reduce sensitivity and can prevent further recession or even reverse recession. To help make your decision to undergo gum grafting easier, consider the benefits:

• Reduce sensitivity from exposed roots
• Improve the aesthetic quality of your teeth and gumline
• Protect teeth from invasive, hard-to-manage plaque buildup

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Our team knows that when periodontal disease has affected the integrity of your bones, rebuilding the strength and appearance of your jawbone and full oral structure is of the utmost importance to you.

We realize, as well, that you may feel uneasy about the surgery and treatments involved in returning your mouth to full function, health, and beauty. Keep in mind that equal to our mission to serve you with modern technology and excellent periodontal treatment is a dedication to approaching your care with empathy and a gentle touch.

What Is Bone Regeneration?

When the plaque and harmful bacteria that lead to periodontal disease move beneath your gumline, the effects may cause Bone Loss. Sometimes the deterioration of bone tissue is mild, requiring smoothing and soft tissue grafting of your gums. However, in the case of advanced periodontitis, effects may include tooth loss and severe bone damage, requiring regeneration.

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Restoring Your Smile with the SMILE Technique

Innovative and versatile dental implant microsurgery for patients with missing teeth.

What is the SMILE Technique?

The Simplified Microsurgical Implant Lifelike Esthetics (SMILE) technique is an innovative and precise technique designed to restore missing teeth and enhance the beauty and function of the smile. Only some periodontists are trained to perform this technique and it can be an attractive option for patients with one or more missing teeth. The technique is associated with a very high success rate and produces predictable results.

What makes the SMILE Technique unique is that there is a very minimally-invasive extraction process involved, and we can place a dental implant immediately. We will place a temporary crown to restore your smile so you are never without a tooth, and can avoid multiple surgeries just to get the results you want. The dental implant looks and functions just like your real teeth and the recovery period is fairly fast.

How the SMILE Technique Works

The SMILE technique is a microsurgical approach to tooth replacement and involves using microsurgical instruments to reduce trauma to the tissues and prevent bleeding. The procedure can be performed with great precision to prepare the treatment site for dental implant placement. Healing times are relatively fast. This type of dental implant therapy involves placing an implant on the front of the tooth structure with a fabricated crown to restore the look of the original tooth. It is a valuable option for both broken teeth and missing teeth.