Periodontal Treatments

Treatment Options

If you've been diagnosed with gum disease, there are a variety of treatment options depending on the details of your situation and the severity of the problem. We always start with the least invasive options, which are non-surgical. However, in more serious cases, surgery may be necessary.

Dr. Everett

Periodontist

Originally from further north in the Texas Panhandle, Dr. J. Dylan Everett was born in Amarillo to a great family of ranchers and farmers, and called the nearby town of Stratford his home. After graduating high school as salutatorian in his class, he attended McMurry University in Abilene, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry while participating on the football and track teams. Under Dr. Dennis Plunk’s mentorship in his general dentistry office in Dumas, Texas, Dr. Everett found his calling into the dental field.

Dr. Everett earned his Doctor of Dental Surgery at Texas A&M University College of Dentistry (formerly known as Baylor College of Dentistry). During his dental training he discovered his passion for surgical procedures and decided to pursue his specialty training in periodontics. After completing a master’s degree in oral biology at Texas A&M and a thesis in laser assisted non-surgical therapy (LANST), he returned to west Texas.

As one of Lubbock’s board-certified periodontists, he is proud to be recognized as one of Incisal Edge Magazine’s Top 40 Under 40 specialists in 2021. He is also honored to be considered KCBD’s Best of the West Oral Surgery Center in 2022 and 2023.

Dr. Everett is also a current board member for the South Plains District Dental Society, Southwest Society of Periodontists, & Texas Society of Periodontists.

He is married to his college sweetheart, Kelsey, a radiology technician. They are proud to call Lubbock their home and are excited to be raising their daughter, Hadleigh, and son, Wyatt, in the same West Texas traditions that he grew up in.

Dr. Everett’s professional memberships include:

• American Academy of Periodontology
• American Dental Association
• Texas Dental Association
• Southwest Society of Periodontists
• Texas Society of Periodontists
• The American Board of Periodontology
• International Congress of Oral Implantologists
• International Team for Implantology
• American Society of Dentist Anesthesiologists
• South Plains District Dental Society

 

His certifications include:

• Texas State Board of Dental Examiners
• Basic Life Support
• Advanced Cardiac Life Support
• Pediatric Advanced Life Support

Non-Surgical Treatment

The first line of defense against gum disease is a unique type of cleaning called “scaling and root planing.” In this procedure, an ultrasonic cleaning device is used to remove plaque and tartar from your teeth where regular cleaning devices can't reach: under the gum line, on the tooth, and around the root. Then, the rough surface of the tooth and the root are smoothed out (planed). This provides a healthy, clean surface that makes it easier for the gum tissue to reattach to the tooth.

If you address your gum disease before it becomes severe, scaling and root planing may be the only treatment you need. However, as with any dental procedure, after-care is vital. In order to keep your teeth in good shape and resist future occurrences of gum disease, you must brush and floss daily, eat a healthy diet, avoid tobacco use, and have regular dental checkups. Even after a successful scaling and root planing, if you don't attend to your teeth properly, it's quite likely that you'll develop gum disease again.

Surgical Treatment Options

If the tissue or bone surrounding your teeth is too damaged to be repaired with non-surgical treatment, several surgical procedures are available to prevent severe damage and to restore a healthy smile. We will recommend the procedure that is best suited to the condition of your teeth and gums. Following is a list of common types of periodontal surgery:

• Pocket Depth Reduction
  In a healthy mouth, the teeth are firmly surrounded by gum tissue and securely supported by the bones of the jaw. Periodontal disease damages these tissues and bones, leaving open spaces around the teeth that we call pockets. The larger these pockets are, the easier it is for bacteria to collect inside them, leading to more and more damage over time. Eventually the supportive structure degrades to the point that the tooth either falls out or needs to be removed.

  During pocket reduction procedures (also known as “flap surgery”), we fold back the gum tissue and remove the bacteria hiding underneath, as well as the hardened plaque and tartar that have collected. We may also remove any tissue that is too damaged to survive. We then sew the healthy tissue back into place. Now that the tooth and root are free of bacteria, plaque, and tartar, and the pockets have been reduced, the gums can reattach to the teeth.

• Regeneration
  When the bone and tissue supporting the teeth have been lost due to severe gum disease, we can restore these areas with a regeneration procedure. During this process, we begin by folding back the gum tissue and removing the bacteria, plaque, and tartar. Depending on your situation, we may then perform a bone graft to stimulate new bone growth, or we may apply a special kind of protein that stimulates tissue growth to repair the areas that have been destroyed by the disease.

• Soft-Tissue Graft
  A frequent symptom of gum disease is gum recession (also called gingival recession). As the gums recede, more of the roots are revealed. This can make teeth appear longer and can also create sensitivity to hot or cold liquids or food. It also exposes the tooth to increased damage from gum disease, as bacteria, plaque, and tartar attack the surface of the tooth and the root.

  During a soft-tissue graft, tissue from the top of your mouth or another source is sewed to the gum area, covering the roots and restoring the gum line to its original, healthy location. This procedure can also be performed for cosmetic reasons.