Gum Disease Treatment

Depending on the severity of the condition, treatment for gum disease may include non-surgical and surgical procedures. Healthy gums are the Skin of Your Teeth®. That’s why it is so important to treat gum disease at its earliest stages. Often, gum disease begins with gingivitis. Untreated, gingivitis may progress to more serious forms of gum disease that cause tooth loss and other health problems.

Non-surgical Gum Disease Treatment

• Deep Cleaning – A mild case of receding gums may be effectively treated by a professional deep cleaning, also known as tooth scaling and root planning. This type of treatment removes plaque and tartar from the surfaces of the teeth, as well as their roots below the gum line. When plaque is not removed daily with brushing and flossing, it hardens into tartar that can only be removed by a dentist or hygienist. During the deep cleaning, a dental professional also smoothes, or planes, the exposed root area to make it more difficult for bacteria to stick to it.

Surgical Gum Disease Treatment

More advanced cases of gum disease are treated by surgery performed by a dentist or periodontist (a specialist that treats diseases of the gums and supporting structures of the teeth). The following surgical procedures are used, depending on the severity of the disease:

• Pocket Depth Reduction – Receding gums and periodontitis can cause your gums to pull away from your teeth and create gaps or pockets that are breeding grounds for harmful bacteria. During this procedure, your dentist or periodontist will fold back the receded gum tissue and remove the bacteria from the pockets. Next, the pockets are eliminated or reduced when the surgeon repositions the gum tissue snugly over the exposed tooth roots.
• Regeneration – In severe cases of receding gums and periodontitis, regeneration will spark the growth of lost bone and tissue. First, the gum tissue is folded back to remove bacteria in the pocket. Next, a regenerative material is applied to stimulate the body to regenerate new bone and tissue. The gum tissue is repositioned snugly over the tooth roots.
• Soft Tissue Grafts – A connective tissue graft involves gum tissue from the palate (roof of the mouth) or from another donor source to cover one or more exposed roots. This gum disease treatment restores the gum line and helps reverse serious gum disease.

Prevention of Gum Disease

One of the leading cause of gum disease is poor dental hygiene habits. By actively cleaning your teeth, flossing between your teeth and stimulating your gums, you can take better care of your teeth and gums (the Skin of Your Teeth®) every day:

• Clean and floss your teeth daily to thoroughly remove particles and bacteria trapped between your teeth.
• Don’t use a hard-bristled brush. Aggressive brushing with a hard or traditional toothbrush, especially brushing horizontally instead of vertically, can damage the protective enamel on your teeth.
• Switch to safer products such as innovative, new dental hygiene tools like PeriClean Ultra Soft Toothbrush.
• Schedule professional teeth cleanings twice a year.
• Visit your dentist regularly

Reader Testimonial:

“Many thanks for your new and improved PeriClean toothbrush, which I purchased after seeking ways to cure gum disease online. I am very pleased with the new ultra soft design, which leaves my teeth feeling cleaner than ever and well protected.” — Mairéad G.

For details about gum disease treatment, visit our Gum Disease Symptoms & Causes

For more details about receding gums, visit Receding Gums Symptoms & Causes and Receding Gums Treatment.

For more details about dental care and gum care, visit Dental Care Basics.

For more details about a safer, brushless way to clean teeth, visit PeriClean Ultra Soft Specialty Toothbrush.