A scientific approach to determining causes of gum disease is available in Bloomington

Lifestyle factors such as negligent oral hygiene, tobacco use, poor nutrition, diabetes, and some medical treatments increase the risk of developing gum disease. That general observation is well-documented. However, the real root cause of gum disease is pathogenic bacteria. These microscopic organisms feast on sugars left in the mouth from food particles, then excrete acids which irritate gum tissue. Your mouth hosts hundreds of strains of bacteria, many of which are beneficial, so a sterile mouth isn’t necessarily healthy. Identifying the particular bacteria that trigger periodontal disease is key to effective prevention and management. Dr. Mike Milligan and Dr. Marisa Milligan take a scientific approach to determining the causes of gum disease, for the oral health of their patients in Bloomington.

Personalized assessment

Microbial populations are quite different in every mouth. Eastland Dental Center uses a salivary diagnostic test to analyze the types and concentrations of bacteria specific to you. A second test indicates whether you are at an increased risk of periodontal infection. It assesses your genetic predisposition to gum disease, based on hereditary factors such as a hypersensitive immune system response. This better understanding of your individual biological terrain allows the dentists to develop a customized program to keep your gums as healthy as possible .

A simple process

These tests are quick and painless, and are conducted chairside at Eastland Dental Center.

• You swish a saline solution in your mouth for 30 seconds.
• The solution is spit into a collection tube.
• The sample is labeled and sent to a laboratory.
• Our dentists receive detailed reports that include easy-to-understand graphics and summarization.
• The dentists share these results with you, and together you determine the best program to get gum disease under control and keep your mouth in good condition.

Gentle treatment

If a comprehensive oral examination, supplemented with these tests, indicates that you do not have gum disease – congratulations! The Eastland Dental Center team will do everything in our power to keep it that way. If you do have gingivitis, periodontitis, or increased risk factors, be assured that we are trained and equipped to provide effective treatment. This may include deep cleaning, scaling and root planing, or in severe cases, oral surgery to remove diseased gum tissue. However, in many cases we get excellent results with a non-invasive treatment called PerioProtect. In a process similar to teeth whitening, you simply wear custom-fitted trays filled with medicated gel for a short period of time each day to fight bacterial infection.

Why do the dentists at Eastland Dental Center take these extra steps to determine the causes of gum disease? Because they believe that their patients in the Bloomington area deserve this level of personalized treatment. Call (309) 663-4711 to become a patient.