Achieving quality dentistry for life 

The following information describes the various treatments for periodontal disease. They are listed from least to most aggressive:

1. Do nothing. If you elect to do nothing for your periodontal disease, it will continue to progress slowly until you lose the involved teeth one-by-one. This tooth loss can take from a few months to years. Routine dental hygiene appointments can increase the possibility of prolonged tooth service.
2. Increased frequency of oral hygiene appointments. Although normally tooth cleanings and scalings are performed once every six months, patients with minimal periodontal disease can often control its progress by increasing the frequency of scalings and exams to once every four months or once every two months.
3. Deep scaling, soft tissue curettage and increased frequency of oral hygiene appointments. Removal of tartar from the deepest areas of the periodontal pockets and removal of the diseased soft tissue by scaling usually decreases pocket depth and slows or stops periodontal disease. Routine oral hygiene scaling, polishing, and examination is increased to once every two to four months.
4. Periodontal surgery. In advanced cases it may be necessary to gently reflect the gums from the underlying bone tissue, clean out the infection, sometimes add bone fill in deficient areas, and replace the gums for healing.

In addition to the above treatments, patients are instructed on how to improve their oral hygiene procedures and diet. Smoking is also an extremely negative factor related to periodontal disease, and it should be reduced or preferably stopped.

Read about other treatments

1. Periodontal Scaling and Root Planing
2. Gum Grafting

Back to Gum Disease