What is periodontal (gum) disease?

Periodontal (gum) disease is a bacterial infection of the tissues around your teeth that if left untreated can cause bad breath, bone loss and eventually looseness of teeth or even loss of teeth.

What are the signs of periodontal (gum) disease?

The signs are bleeding, bad breath, swelling of the gums, tooth looseness, abscesses, or even pain.

Who gets periodontal disease?

Anyone can get periodontal disease but it is most common in adults 25 and older. However, younger adults who haven't seen a dentist for years or who haven't taken care of their oral health are also susceptible. That is why it is critical to follow through on your home care and see a dentist regularly so that you can be screened for this and any other oral health issues.

What do I do if I think I have gum disease?

See your dentist. This is the most important thing you can do. After that if you do have this infection, you will be treated for it and then you must follow through on your home care responsibilities as well as the more frequent dentist visits that this infection will require. This is not a "curable " disease, but we can control it with regular visits and your home care discipline.

What treatments are available for gum disease?

The most common treatment is a "deep cleaning " also called scaling and root planing. This mostly painless procedure cleans the teeth and root surfaces of the bacterial infection and the surface roughness that it creates on the tooth so that healing, healthy gum tissue can reattach to the tooth and prevent the bacteria from reinfecting that area. Sometimes, local medications will be recommended to be placed to enhance the healing process. Lasers can also be used to eliminate the bacteria around the tooth. Now there are laboratory tests that can be run that will specify what bacteria are specifically causing your infection and we can target those with specific systemic antibiotics for short periods of time. Additionally, we have a systemic anti-inflammatory treatments available that has proven over many years to be effective in treating the inflammatory component of this disease.