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Soft Tissue Management Specialist

Post Oak Dental

Cosmetic & General Dentists located in Houston, TX

Are you struggling with periodontal disease? If so, get support with soft tissue management at Post Oak Dental, led by J. Chris Gowan, DDS, PA and located in Houston, Texas today. Soft tissue management helps heal your gums and keep them healthy. To learn more about soft tissue management, reach out online or over the phone today.

Soft Tissue Management Q & A

What is soft tissue management?

Soft tissue management is nonsurgical therapy for the gums of those experiencing gingivitis or periodontal disease, also known as gum disease. 

Gum disease is a chronic infection of the gums, which are the tissues that hold the teeth in place. Typically, gum disease develops as a result of poor oral hygiene. When you don’t brush or floss properly, you enable a sticky bacteria film called plaque to build up on your teeth and harden.

As plaque mixes with saliva, it hardens into tartar, which you can’t remove without professional cleaning. Gum disease has many stages and may cause a variety of symptoms, including:

  • Chronic bad breath
  • Sore or bleeding gums
  • Red or swollen gums
  • Painful chewing

Severe gum disease can lead to loose teeth and tooth loss.

How does soft tissue management work?

The team at Post Oak Dental treats gum disease using a few methods, including scaling and root planing (SRP). During this two part process, your dental hygienist cleans both the surface of the teeth and the roots below the gum line. 

Scaling

During scaling, your team removes both plaque and tartar from your tooth surfaces.

Root planing

During root planing, your team removes any infected tissue from around your teeth roots, smooths them, and cleans your periodontal pockets. Periodontal pockets are gaps between your teeth and gums.

Periodontal disease forces a separation between your gum line and teeth, allowing tartar to gather there. When your team smooths your teeth roots, they make it easier for your gums to reattach to them as they heal.

What are soft tissue lasers?

To perform scaling and root planing, Post Oak Dental uses traditional methods in conjunction with advanced soft tissue lasers, including the SOL® diode laser and the NV® PRO3 microlaser. 

Soft tissue lasers allow the practice to treat your gum disease with extreme precision and accuracy without causing discomfort. 

Not only can the team remove buildup, but they can also perform laser bacterial reduction. During this process, the laser kills bacteria in your gum pockets. This prevents infection and helps your tissue heal.

Treatments like these, along with regular supportive periodontal maintenance can control or even reverse the progress of your gum disease. To learn more about soft tissue management, reach out to Post Oak Dental online or over the phone today.