gum treatment

Gum disease is a chronic inflammation of the gum line due to bacterial infection.  At early stage, gum disease is painless.

• Gingivitis- early stage, red gum, bleeding gum while brushing, flossing. 
• Periodontitis - untreated gingivitis can progress to where the infection affect the bone that surrounds and supports your teeth . It's a major cause of about 70% of adult tooth lost.

Gum disease is the major cause of about 70% adult tooth lost and it can be painless.  Signs and symptoms:

• Swollen, red, tender or bleeding gums
• Gums that recede or move away from the tooth
• Persistent bad breath or bad taste in mouth 
• Loose teeth
• Visible pus surrounding the teeth and gums
   

Early stages of gum disease, most treatments are non-surgical procedures. In more advanced stages, surgical procedures usually are required. 

NON SURGICAL PROCEDURES:

• Scaling and Root Planing (also called Deep Cleaning) - to remove  calculus from under the gumline (in periodontal pockets) and smooth  the root surfaces. This allows the gum tissue to heal. It also makes it more difficult for plaque to accumulate along the root surfaces. This is the only option to remove calculus from the area. 
• Periodontal Maintenance - 3 months after the deep cleaning, periodontal maintenance is performed to minimize the recurrence or progression of the disease. 

SURGICAL PROCEDURES:

• Pocket depth reduction -  affected gum tissue is opened up, bacteria and calculus build-up is removed. Sometimes, damage bone and root surfaces require smoothing and recontouring to allow the gum tissue to reattach to healthy bone during  healing. The procedure also repositions the gum tissue so that it is  easier to keep clean. 

•  Soft tissue grafts: Receding gums and exposed root surfaces will be repair by using the healthy gum  tissue from the roof of the mouth (palate) or other areas of the mouth.