Gum Disease Treatment

Gum disease, or periodontal disease, is a bacterial infection of the gums and the bone that hold your teeth in place, and nearly half of U.S. adults over 30 have it. It starts as gingivitis, red gums that bleed when you brush, and can progress to periodontitis, where pockets open below the gumline and the bone around the teeth breaks down. Early gum disease rarely hurts, which is why measuring your gum pockets at every exam catches it early.

Every gum pocket is measured with a thin probe, bleeding and recession are recorded, and digital x-rays show the bone around each tooth. Healthy pockets are 1 to 3 mm; deeper pockets with bleeding, tartar below the gums or bone loss mean periodontitis.

Gingivitis reverses fully. Periodontitis is brought under control: treatment clears the infection and lets the gums tighten, and maintenance helps keep it from returning. Bone already lost doesn’t grow back on its own, which is why early treatment protects the most.

A deep cleaning is done with local anesthesia, one side of the mouth at a time, so the area is numb and most patients feel only pressure. The gums can be tender for a few days afterward, and you can ask for numbing at any visit.

Home care keeps gums healthy and stops gingivitis, but it can’t reach tartar that has formed below the gumline in a pocket. Once pockets have formed, a deep cleaning is the only way to clean the roots, and daily brushing and flossing then protect the result.

The infection keeps destroying the gum and bone that hold your teeth: pockets deepen, gums recede, teeth loosen and chewing hurts, and eventually teeth are lost. Treating it now costs less, in teeth and in money, than treating it later.

Bleeding and swelling typically settle within a couple of weeks of a deep cleaning as the gums tighten around the teeth. Healing is checked at the re-evaluation visit.

Not on their own. The bacteria live in plaque and tartar below the gumline, and only a deep cleaning removes them. Where a pocket needs extra help after scaling and root planing, Arestin, an antibiotic placed directly in the pocket, can be added.

It is priced at your personalized consultation, once every pocket is measured, and your written plan shows the cost before treatment starts. We accept PPO plans and most carriers, including CIGNA, MetLife, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Delta Dental and GEHA Connection Dental. No Medicaid, DMO or HMO plans accepted. We work with your insurance to ensure you receive the maximum benefit. 0% financing through Cherry and the in-house Adult Perio membership plan are available too.

Deluxe Dentistry & Esthetics has two offices, in Lawrenceville, NJ and Skillman, NJ. Every procedure is available at both offices.