Gum Treatment
Gum inflammation (gingivitis), in its early stages, can be treated and reversed by professional cleaning and care.
What is gum disease?
Gum disease is a progressive condition that starts with gingivitis, an inflammation of the gums. If left untreated, it can lead to periodontitis, which destroys the bone and tissue holding your teeth in place.
Symptoms of gum disease
- Early Signs:
- Red, swollen, or tender gums
- Bleeding gums while brushing or flossing
- Bad breath that won’t go away
- Advanced Signs:
- Loose teeth
- Sensitive teeth
- Receding gums (gums pulling away from the teeth)
- Pus around the teeth
- Changes in how your teeth fit together when you bite
Treatment options
- Scaling and root planing: A deep cleaning procedure that removes plaque and tartar from both above and below the gum line. It’s a non-surgical procedure, done under local anaesthetic. There may be slight discomfort and tooth sensitivity after the procedure, but it should not last more than 48 hours.
- Gum Surgery: For more severe cases, surgical intervention may be necessary to repair damaged tissue and bone when there is significant separation between your gums and teeth. During this procedure, your gums will be carefully folded aside to reveal the true extent of the infection. In some cases, the bone around the infected teeth will be shaped to speed up healing. In other cases, the bone and gum tissues can be re-created. Consult our doctor to find out more.
- Gum and Bone Grafting: A procedure to restore lost gum tissue and bone, often required before dental implant placement.
The duration of treatment varies depending on the severity of your condition. While simple procedures may take 30 minutes, more complex ones may take up to two hours. However, a few visits over several weeks may be required if you need gum surgery, scaling and root planing.
FAQ
You should not be experiencing pain after gum treatment procedures. In the event you do feel some pain, our dentists will make sure to prescribe you the right medication.
Your mouth and gums communicate with the rest of your body. In some studies, untreated gum disease has been shown to be related to diabetes, heart and blood vessel diseases, stroke, pregnancy complications, Alzheimer’s disease, osteoporosis and some types of cancers.
Prior to some surgeries, your doctor will watch out for mouth infection, and recommend antibiotics before the procedure to prevent bacteria from your mouth travelling through the bloodstream and infecting other areas.
It all starts with good daily mouth hygiene habits.
We recommend brushing and flossing your teeth twice a day, and visiting us for scaling and polishing twice a year. If we notice that gingivitis is present, we will conduct a thorough scaling and root planing.
We may also suggest other treatments to help minimise the risks for gum disease. For example, if your teeth are misaligned or your front teeth are crowded, braces can help to correct the alignment, which in turn helps to make it easier to keep your teeth clean. If your wisdom teeth are impacted and do not have enough room to erupt, we might recommend having them removed, to avoid gum inflammation or tooth decay.
If you feel like your front teeth seem longer than before, or abnormally long, we can help you in understanding the cause and possible course of treatment. With a dental examination and X-rays, we can assess the dental condition and rule out any underlying problems.
Gum disease might be a cause for long-looking teeth. When the bone and gums that support these teeth are destroyed, more root surfaces are exposed. In these cases, gum grafting can be an appropriate solution if you are diagnosed with receding gums.
If your gums are healthy but you wish to have shorter looking teeth, we may offer full ceramic crowns or root canal treatment. Finally, if you need to align your front teeth to the same level as others, you may also consider braces.
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