Treatment of Gum Disease

Gum disease (also called periodontal disease) is often painless, and you may not be aware that you have a problem until your gums and the supporting bone are seriously damaged. The good news is that periodontal diseases often can be treated in the early stages with a procedure called scaling and root planning.  Many people call this procedure a “deep cleaning”.

To determine if you have periodontal disease, the dentist and hygienist examine your gums. An instrument called a periodontal probe is used to gently measure the depth of the spaces between your teeth and gums.  At the edge of the gumline, healthy gum tissue forms a very shallow, V-shaped groove (called the sulcus) between the tooth and gums.   The normal sulcus depth should be 3 millimeters or less. With periodontal diseases, the sulcus develops into a deeper pocket that collects more plaque bacteria and is difficult to keep clean.

Scaling and root planing is a method of treating these deeper pockets.  Special cleaning instruments or an ultrasonic cleaner, is used to carefully remove plaque and tartar below the gumline- down to the bottom of each periodontal pocket. The tooth’s root surfaces then are smoothed or planed. This allows the gum tissue to heal. It also makes it more difficult for plaque to accumulate along the root surfaces. A local anesthetic may be given to reduce any discomfort.

At a follow-up appointment, the hygienist checks how the gums have healed and how the periodontal pockets have decreased. When pockets greater than 3 mm persist after treatment, additional measures may be needed.

You’ll be given instructions on how to care for your healing teeth and gums. Maintaining good oral hygiene and continued, sometimes lifelong, follow-up by your dentist are essential to help prevent periodontal disease from becoming more serious or recurring.