Periostat
A new weapon in the fight against periodontal disease
Periodontal disease is an infection of the teeth, gums, and the bone that surrounds the teeth. It’s caused by specific bacteria that live in the spaces between the teeth and gums, called pockets. The bacteria that cause periodontal disease trigger the body’s immune system to produce enzymes, and these enzymes are what actually cause bone loss.

Treating periodontal disease
If left untreated, the destruction of supporting bone eventually leads to tooth loss. In fact, periodontal disease is the number-one cause of adult tooth loss. The traditional treatment for periodontal disease has always included a series of steps, beginning with the removal of plaque and tartar from the root surfaces. This procedure is called root planing. After healing, the areas are re-evaluated, homecare techniques are modified, and in severe cases, surgery is recommended. Fortunately, recent breakthroughs have led to the development of another effective tool in the ongoing fight against periodontal disease — a new systemic medication called Periostat.

How Periostat works
Periostat is taken not for its antibiotic effect, but for its inhibiting effect on the bone-destroying enzymes that are released by the body
in response to periodontal disease. It’s taken twice daily, one capsule in the morning and one in the evening, about an hour before meals. When used in combination with scaling, root planing, and improved homecare techniques, Periostat suppresses the level of destructive enzymes that cause bone loss, which will in turn help to reduce pocket depth and promote healthy gum-tooth attachment. We won’t prescribe Periostat if you’re allergic to tetracyclines, or are pregnant or nursing; we also don’t prescribe it for infants or children under eight years of age.

Periostat is an important advance in the treatment of adult periodontitis that, when combined with scaling, root planing and improved homecare techniques, can help stop the ongoing damage caused by periodontal disease.

Inflamed gums	Root planing	A Periostat capsule

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Arestin
What is periodontal disease?
One-third of the American population is affected by periodontal disease, a chronic bacterial infection of the gums, teeth, and bone that surrounds the teeth. Periodontal disease occurs when bacteria build up on your teeth and gums, causing your gums to become red and swollen.

Left untreated, this inflammation eventually results in damage to the ligaments and bone that hold your teeth in place. This damage causes pockets to form around your teeth. As the disease progresses and the pockets deepen, your teeth can become loose and fall out. Periodontal disease may also exacerbate other serious health problems, such as cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, and diabetes.

Arestin can help
Fortunately, we now have a new, effective treatment that helps us control periodontal disease and its destructive effects. It's called Arestin, and it's used in conjunction with scaling and root planing to reduce the number of harmful bacteria in your periodontal pockets and restore the area to health. Arestin is an antibiotic in powder form. We painlessly insert the powder into your periodontal pockets, where it combines with moisture in your mouth and adheres immediately to the infected gum tissue. The individual powder particles, called microspheres, release a controlled, steady flow of the active ingredient minocycline, a potent antibiotic. This sustained-release process allows Arestin to fight your periodontal infection for at least 21 days.

When used together with scaling and root planing, Arestin significantly reduces the depth of the infected pockets and helps to prevent the progression of periodontal disease. Arestin has also been shown to be effective even in the most difficult-to-treat cases of periodontal disease, such as those experienced by smokers or patients with cardiovascular disease. However, Arestin's active ingredient is in the tetracycline family of antibiotics, so we won't use it to treat your infection if you are allergic to tetracycline, or if you're pregnant or nursing. Periodontal disease is chronic, which means it can persist for a long time and may never be cured. It's vital that we treat it aggressively to keep it under control. Arestin is an important part of your overall periodontal therapy program, which we have designed to prevent further destruction of bone and connective tissue, and to restore health to your gums.

Periodontal disease	Inserting the powder into the pocket

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Atridox
What is periodontal disease?
Tens of millions of Americans suffer from periodontal disease, which
affects the gums, teeth, and bone that surrounds the teeth. Periodontal disease begins with a bacterial infection. As the infection worsens, your immune system produces white blood cells to fight it. Unfortunately, as they fight the infection, the white blood cells also release enzymes that destroy the soft tissue and bone that hold your teeth in place. As a result, your teeth may become loose, and, if left untreated, the destruction of supporting bone will eventually lead to tooth loss.

Atridox can help
Fortunately, there is an effective treatment called Atridox that fights the bacterial source of periodontal disease and its destructive effects. Atridox is an antimicrobial gel containing the broad-spectrum antibiotic doxycycline. We apply Atridox directly to the infected spaces between your teeth and gums. It then flows deep into the periodontal pockets, where it hardens into a wax-like substance. As it sits in the pocket, it releases the antibiotic over a 7-day period. During this time, the antibiotic attacks the bacteria that are causing your periodontal infection, dramatically reducing their numbers.

Treating your periodontal infection with Atridox is quick and completely comfortable. Your body absorbs the waxy plug, so you won't need to come in and have us remove it. Scaling and root planing treatment is not necessary with each application of Atridox, but we will use these treatments as needed to keep your periodontal disease under control. You must be thorough and consistent with your daily oral hygiene, and you should come to see us every 3 to 4 months for an exam and cleaning to keep the infection in check.

Who can use Atridox?
The active ingredient in Atridox is in the tetracycline class of drugs, so it's not an option if you are allergic to drugs in the tetracycline family. Also, if you're pregnant or nursing, we won't use Atridox to treat your periodontal infection, because tetracycline can cause permanent tooth discoloration in your unborn or nursing baby.

You should be aware that Atridox is not a cure for periodontal disease, and once bone has been lost, no medication will bring it back. However, Atridox is another effective method that helps eradicate the bacterial infection and prevent further destruction of bone and connective tissue.

Periodontal disease	Inserting the gel into the pocket

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