Gum treatmentPeriodontal treatment · Gum disease treatment
- What it does
- Removes the cause
- Surface tartar
- Scaling
- Gum
- Does not grow back
- Front-tooth gap
- Stop progression first
- After treatment
- Shape
- Cost
- Explained after exam
Gum treatment removes what is damaging the gum and bone that hold your teeth in place. It is not just a surface cleaning. If you skip this step, no other treatment will last.
Gums that have already receded do not grow back on their own. Gum treatment stops the progression.
If your front teeth have suddenly spread apart, it is often because bone has been lost. We do not start by filling the gap.
Why gum treatment
It removes the causeBefore fixing the shape, we first stop the loss of gum and bone. Treatment on top only lasts if the bone holds.
It comes before any other treatmentWhether you cover, move, or replace a tooth, weak gums and bone will make that treatment fail first.
It goes beyond the surfaceScaling deals with the surface. Gum treatment deals with the gum and bone that hold the teeth.
How gum treatment works
We do not stop at cleaning the surface. The gum and bone come first.
- 01
We see how far it has receded
We do not only check for bleeding. We measure how much bone is left.
- 02
We clean below the gum line
We remove what is causing bone loss. We do not just skim the surface and stop.
- 03
We stop the progression
Receded gums do not come back. This treatment keeps them from receding further.
- 04
Then we look at the shape
Spread front teeth, missing teeth, and teeth that need crowns are discussed after the progression has stopped.
How we handle gums and bone
Tartar on the surface and the cause that breaks down gum and bone are two different things. We look at where the problem starts.
Removing tartar
We remove the hard tartar stuck to the tooth surface. It is the treatment that touches the teeth the least. But gums that have already receded, and color inside the tooth, do not come back with this treatment.
Removing the cause
This stops the gum and bone from breaking down. If this step is skipped, no other treatment will last. But gums that have already receded will not grow back on their own.
Color inside the tooth stays
Cleaning the surface does not remove color inside the tooth. If the discoloration is inside the tooth, whitening comes first. If it is at a filling, we check that filling first.
The support weakens
When bone breaks down, the front teeth get pushed and spread apart. In this case we do not close the gap first. We stop the progression, then look at the shape.
Will my gums grow back?
They do not grow back on their own. This treatment keeps them from wearing away further.
Is it the same as scaling?
Scaling cleans the surface. Gum treatment deals with the gum and bone that hold the teeth. Sometimes surface cleaning is enough, and if so, we tell you right away.
I came in because my front teeth are spreading apart.
If a new gap has appeared after age 30, bone is often the cause. We do not start by filling the gap.
Do you fix the shape right after?
We look at the shape after the progression has stopped. If a gap is bonded while it is still progressing, it opens again and the remaining bone shrinks further.
