The cost of periodontal disease varies according to the extent of the bone loss and tissue inflammation and the treatment prescribed by the dentist. There are a number of treatments, called periodontal therapy, available for periodontal disease.
Periodontal therapy is the removal of tarter or calculus along the gum line and on the root surface of teeth. This removal can only be done by a dentist or hygienist. The treatment, when needed, is called root planning and scaling.A local anesthetic may be administered during these procedures. Your dentist may also administer antibiotics to treat the bacteria housed in the pocketed areas of the gums. Sometimes home care includes a disinfecting mouthwash, such as chlorine dioxide or chlorhexidine. If inflammation is local and is only present in a few sites along with very small pockets, then the treatment cost is much less than if the bone loss is generalized and is great around most of the teeth.
In some cases surgery is also needed to remove the diseased tissue and create an environment that will respond to home care. Periodontal flap surgery is performed to decrease the pocket depth along the tooth. If the bone around the tooth has a pocket defect housing bacteria and contributing to this disease, the bone may be reshaped through bone surgery to eliminate the defect and help prevent future re-colonization of bacteria growth.
A study in the Journal of Periodontology (JOP) found that the prevention of periodontal disease helps save money not only in dental costs but in medical care costs. Since this oral disease has been connected with other health condition such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, breast cancer, respiratory problems and recently colon cancer, it makes sense to prevent periodontal disease.
The JOP study in Japan examined 4,285 people over a 3.5 year period to ascertain the costs of periodontal disease (PD) on medical and dental health.The examined patients were between 40 and 59 years old. Researchers show that cumulative health care costs were 21% higher for those patients with severe PD than those with no PD. The result shows that the patients with severe PD have much higher expenses than patients without periodontal issues.
One simple way to reduce total health care costs is to treat this gum disease. When caught early, periodontal diseases can be treated using simple non-surgical techniques which can restore your mouth to a healthy state.
![[Valid RSS feed]](http://www.articleembedd.com/images/icon_Rss.png "XML Feed For RSS"){kind=icon}
Category Rss Feed
Print This Article
Add To Favorites
