Lakewood Periodontal Disease Therapy - Arestin - Lakewood, CA

Your gums are an important foundation for your teeth and provide stability for all of your dental work - so it's important to keep them healthy.  However, your dental professional identified a chronic bacterial infection in your gums known as periodontal disease (gum disease).

Important facts about periodontal disease

• Periodontal disease in the #1 cause of adult tooth loss in the United States.
• This silent infection occurs when harmful bacteria travel beneath the gum line and create "pockets" - spaces or gaps in the gums around the teeth.
• If left untreated, periodontal bacteria can lead to bone and tooth loss that threatens your foundation.
• Infected periodontal pockets are usually 4 or more milimeters (mm) in depth.

ARESTIN is indicated as an adjunct to scaling and root planing (SRP) procedures for reduction of pocket depth in patients with adult periodontitis.  ARESTIN may be used as part of a periodontal program which includes good oral hygiene, scaling and root planing.

The role of your Dental Healthcare Team

The good news is that there are effective treatments available for periodontal disease.  Your dental healthcare team chooses the most effective method of treatment for your infection and is dedicated to helping you fight periodontal disease.  The treatment your dental healthcare team selects is designed to:

• Reduce the bacteria causing your infection
• Shrink the size of your periodontal pockets
• Manage your infection to stop it from spreading or becoming more severe

Treatment with scaling and root planing (SRP)

To treat periodontal disease, dental professionals use a common deep-cleaning procedure known as SRP.

• Scaling removes plaque, tartar, and stains from the surface of teeth
• Planing smoothes the rough areas on the roots of teeth to promote healing

SRP is an effective way to remove the bacteria that form plaque and cause infection.

Give your gums a fighting chance

Even though SRP removes a great deal of the bacteria that cause periodontal infection, the instrments used during this mechanical procedure can't always reach the bacteria that hide in the bottom of pockets or in difficult-to-reach areas.

That's why a dental healthcare team often decides to add a locally administered antibiotic (LAA) such as ARESTIN.

Adding ARESTIN

ARESTIN is a small amount of antibiotic powder that is easily applied by a dental professional.

• Clinical studies show that ARESTIN + SRP is more effective at shrinking the size of infected periodontal pockets than SRP alone.
• ARESTIN remains in the pocket for at least 14 days - to help ensure continued treatment
• ARESTIN is safe and easy for your dental professional to administer

ARESTIN has been included in your treatment because it has been proven to futher reduce the bacteria inside periodontal pockets.

6 tips to remember after treatment with ARESTIN

1. Don't touch.  Avoid touching areas of your gums that your dentist has treated.
2. Wait to brush.  Wait 12 hours after your treatment with ARESTIN before brushing your teeth.
3. Wait to floss.  Do not floss, use toothpicks or any other devices for at least 10 days.
4. Avoid eating hard, crunchy, or sticky foods for 1 week after treatment.
5. Always follow up.  Because the bacteria that cause periodontal disease are persistent, the infection can return.  Please be sure to make follow-up appointments with your dental professional to maintain healthy gums and teeth.
6. Keep your scheduled appointments.  It is important to keep all of your dental appointments so that your dental professional can re-examine your gums, make sure the infection is under control, and measure the success of your treatment.

Adding ARESTIN® makes a significant difference

The leading locally administered antibiotic (LAA), ARESTIN®, delivers a sustained dose of minocycline directly to infected pockets, helping to kill the bacteria that SRP can leave behind.

ARESTIN® provides safe, localized drug concentrations at the site of the infection. ARESTIN® helps maintain therapeutic drug concentrations in the periodontal pocket for up to 21 days ARESTIN® stays in place after application and does not require removal
For more information on the proven results of ARESTIN®, please visit our Clinical Resources section for dental professionals where you will find clinical data from studies with ARESTIN®.

Minimal side effects were reported in clinical studies, and those that were reported were similar to placebo (no treatment at all). In key clinical trials, the most common adverse events associated with treatment were headache (9.0%), infection (7.6%), flu syndrome (5.0%), and pain (4.3%).