Arestin® – Bloomington IL

Periodontal (Gum) Disease Treatment

Periodontal disease is a serious infection under your gum line.

ARESTIN® (minocycline hydrochloride) is an antibiotic that kills bacteria that cause periodontal infection.

• It is placed directly in the infected areas, or “pockets,” in your gums.
• It may be placed right after scaling and root planing or when scaling and root planing is incorporated into a periodontal maintenance appointment. Recall that scaling and root planing is the dental procedure that disrupts stubborn plaque and bacteria below your gum line, where brushing and flossing can’t reach.
• It is a site-specific treatment, so it is not a type of treatment to be considered when periodontal disease is generalized. Generalized cases are treated best with an oral antibiotic instead of a site-specific one.
• It starts working quickly, right at the source of infection and keeps fighting bacteria long after you leave the dental office. ^1,2
• It fights infection and inflammation for 30 days,² and provides significantly better results than scaling and root planning alone would, as many as 90 days after.³
• It is 60 percent effective after three tries, while most other treatment options have success rates of 95 percent.

1. Oringer RJ, Al-Shammari KF, Aldredge WA, et al. Effect of locally administered minocycline microspheres on markers of bone resorption. J Periodontol 2002;73:835-842.
2. Goodson JM, Gunsolley JC, Grossi SG, et al. Minocycline HCl microspheres reduce red-complex bacteria in periodontal disease therapy. J Periodontol 2007;78(8):1568-1579.
3. Williams RC, Paquette DW, Offenbacher S, et al. Treatment of periodontitis by local administration of minocycline microspheres: a controlled trial. J Periodontol 2001;72:1535-1544.