Periodontal disease can be difficult to treat, and nearly impossible to cure completely. However, we have modern tools that allow us to treat it more and more effectively. One such tool useful for improving treatment is salivary testing.
Salivary testing takes a sample of your saliva from the areas affected by periodontitis and analyzes the contents. It will allow your dentist to determine exactly what strains of bacteria are causing your periodontitis. The testing also provides several very valuable insights:
– Identifies the causative bacteria
– The end goal for therapeutic treatment
– Assessing risk factors
– Assessment of likely outcomes
– The risk of recurrence
– The most appropriate antibiotic
Each of these factors vary from case to case, so treatment should not be universal for all cases of periodontitis. The insights we gain from salivary testing allows us to perfectly customize treatment. For example, if a patient has a high-risk pathogen in their periodontitis, we can plan for the likely occurrence of areas that don’t respond to normal treatment before any of it happens.
If you have red, tender gums, come down to Three Sixty Dentistry in Newhall, California. We can help you get the best treatment for your periodontitis.
