What gum disease is
Gum disease starts as gingivitis: your gums are red, puffy and bleed when you brush. That is very common, and nothing to be embarrassed about. At this stage it can be reversed with a professional cleaning and better cleaning at home.
If it is left alone, it can become periodontitis. The gum pulls away from the tooth and forms a pocket, bacteria collect where a brush cannot reach, and the bone that holds the tooth is slowly lost. It rarely hurts, which is why many people first hear about it at a check-up and not from a symptom. That is not your fault, and we are glad to help.
Signs worth having checked
- Gums that bleed when you brush or floss
- Gums that have pulled back, so teeth look longer
- A bad taste or bad breath that does not go away
- Teeth that feel loose, or have moved
- A change in how your teeth fit together when you bite
How we assess your gums
We measure the pocket around each tooth with a fine probe marked in millimetres, at six points per tooth. Healthy gums measure one to three millimetres. Deeper readings, and bleeding where we measure, tell us where the disease is active. X-rays show us how much bone is left.
We will show you the chart. It is the simplest way to see where the problem is, and it is what we compare against later to find out whether treatment has worked. You are welcome to ask us about any number on it.
Treatment without surgery
The first step is usually scaling and root planing, a cleaning below the gum line. We freeze the area with local anaesthetic first. Then we remove the hardened deposits from below the gum line and smooth the root so the gum can settle back against it. It is usually done over two or more visits, and we will walk you through each one.
A few weeks later we measure again. In many mouths the pockets have become shallower and the bleeding has stopped. After that, regular cleanings help you keep it that way.
Periodontal surgery
Surgery can sound like a big step, so we will go slowly and explain everything. Where pockets stay deep after scaling, surgery may be the next step. The procedures have different purposes:
- Pocket reduction surgery: the gum is lifted so the root can be cleaned under direct view, then repositioned so the pocket is shallower.
- Gum grafting: tissue is placed over a root that recession has exposed, to protect it and reduce sensitivity.
- Crown lengthening: gum and sometimes bone are reshaped so that more of a tooth is available to hold a crown or a filling.
Your dentist will explain which of these applies to you, what the healing involves, and whether a periodontist, a specialist in gum treatment, is the right person to carry it out. You are welcome to ask as many questions as you like.
After treatment
Gum disease is controlled, not cured. If you have been treated for it, you will usually need a cleaning every three to four months, at least for the first year. Smoking and diabetes both slow healing and make the disease more likely to return, so we will ask about them. We ask to help you, not to judge.
What to Expect
How long does it take to recover from gum surgery?
It depends on the procedure. Most people eat soft food for several days and return for a check in one to two weeks. Your dentist will give you written instructions for your own case, and you are welcome to call us with questions.