True Periodontal Rehabilitation – A Future Pillar of Cosmetic Dentistry

Periodontal health is a prime prerequisite for cosmetic dentistry. There is no “aesthetic” smile makeover without complete oral health. Periodontal tissues carry the work of a cosmetic dentist for an entire life time. In addition, the primary purpose of a smile design is the display of youthfulness and health. Pink and firm gums are representative of a healthy person.

A recent study has discovered for the first time a biological intervention that might reverse the signs of periodontitis. This is big news since all approaches to regenerative periodontal treatment have been very limited. Loss of alveolar bone and periodontal tissues could mostly only be halted and, in reality, never be reversed to the original health of the alveolar bone as found prior to the onset of this disease.

Dr. Hajishengallis of Penn Dental Medicine with primary investigator Dr. Maekawa published is findings in the Journal of Clinical Periodontology. He described his observations when delivering the inhibitor Cp40 of C3, the third component of the complement system. The complement system is part of the immune system. It assists the ability of antibodies and phagocytic cells to eliminate microbes and damaged cells from an organism. This causes inflammation, which is a main contributing factor for gum disease. Hence, an integral aspect of periodontitis is auto-immune activity of the human body. C3 is a vital step of the cascading events that lead to full activation of the compliment system. Dr. Hajishengallis showed that the mere application of Cp40 by local injection once a week reversed the inflammatory aspect of gum disease.

This is fantastic news since cosmetic dentistry without a complete rehabilitation of diseased periodontal tissue would be severely compromised, despite the application of state-of-the-art techniques, such as alveolar ridge augmentation procedures, connective tissue grafts, and the placement of dental implants.