Antimicrobial Therapy

What Is Antimicrobial Therapy?

Antimicrobial therapy uses targeted medication to reduce the bacteria that drive gum disease. It is used alongside deep cleaning — not instead of it — to help control infection in periodontal pockets that mechanical cleaning alone has not fully resolved.

How It Is Delivered

The medication can be placed directly into a periodontal pocket as a gel, chip or microsphere, where it releases slowly over several days at the site that needs it. In some cases an antimicrobial rinse or a short course of oral antibiotics is prescribed instead, depending on how widespread the infection is.

Who Benefits

Antimicrobial therapy is often recommended for pockets that remain deep after scaling and root planing, for patients with a history of aggressive periodontitis, and for those whose healing is complicated by other health conditions. Your gums are re-measured at follow-up visits so the response to treatment can be judged objectively rather than by appearance alone.