Gum Disease Treatment

How do you identify if gum disease is present?

Identifying gum disease as early as possible is crucial to preventing bone and tooth loss. To determine whether you have periodontitis and, if so, its severity, we will:

1. Review your medical history. Certain risk factors, such as genetics, taking certain medications or smoking, can increase the likelihood of gum disease.
2. Exam your teeth and gums. Severe plaque/tartar buildup or gums that bleed easily indicate that the disease is present.
3. Measure gum pocket depth. We place a dental probe between your teeth and gums, throughout different areas within your mouth.
   • 1-3 mm is a healthy and normal gum pocket depth.
   • 3-5 mm is early or mild periodontitis.
   • 5-7 mm is moderate periodontitis.
   • 7-10 mm is advanced periodontitis.
4. Take X-rays of your mouth. Dental X-rays can reveal whether you’ve suffered any bone loss in areas where deeper gum pocket depths are present.

What are the signs of periodontal disease?

The earliest sign of periodontitis is an irritated gum line that might present some discomfort or bleeding when you brush, floss or have your teeth cleaned professionally. If not treated, the gums will start to retract and pull away from the teeth. This creates spaces between the teeth and gums called periodontal pockets that can quickly become filled with harmful accumulations. Your dentist will typically measure the depths of these pockets to determine how far the condition has spread and what treatment is needed to correct the problem. If gum disease eventually makes its way down to the jawbone and the connective tissues of teeth, the jawbone can deteriorate and teeth can be lost.

How is periodontal disease treated?

Periodontal disease is effectively treated in two ways. The treatment you receive depends on the severity of the gum disease.

Scaling and root planing is recognized as the standard treatment for periodontitis. The procedure is highly effective in managing the condition in its early to moderate stages. It also does an excellent job of reversing its harmful effects. When providing scaling and root planing treatment, your dentist will access the areas below the gum line and between the teeth and remove harmful accumulations of plaque, tartar and oral bacteria. Then the root surfaces will be smoothed out to prevent future accumulations. Your gums should then begin the healing process and eventually reattach themselves to the teeth.

The second treatment, bone grafting, is often required when bacteria and plaque have reached the jawbone and caused some amount of deterioration and decay. Your dentist must surgically access the damaged jawbone in order to regenerate it. This is accomplished by applying proteins and artificial bone-like material to the areas of decay. This will help encourage new bone growth. Bone grafting is often a necessary step for strengthening the jawbone so that it can support dental implants to replace missing teeth.