Gum treatment
We treat the infection that costs you your teeth
Periodontitis is an infection that destroys the bone and gum holding your teeth in place. It does not hurt until it is late, which is why many people arrive having already lost support. Treated in time, it stops.
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What periodontitis actually is
Periodontitis is a chronic inflammatory disease affecting the periodontium: the tissues that hold a tooth in place, namely the gum, the periodontal ligament, the root cementum and the alveolar bone. It begins as gingivitis, a superficial gum inflammation that is still reversible, and if left unchecked it ends up destroying the bone supporting the roots.
The trigger is bacterial biofilm, the plaque that gathers in the sulcus between tooth and gum. As that biofilm matures and calcifies into tartar, the body responds with sustained inflammation. The problem is that this immune response, designed to defend us, ends up resorbing the very bone it should be protecting.
As bone disappears, periodontal pockets form: spaces between tooth and gum too deep for a brush to reach. Every millimetre of pocket is a shelter where bacteria live protected, which is why the disease feeds itself until something interrupts it.
Why it is so hard to catch early
Periodontitis almost never hurts. Unlike decay, which announces itself with sharp pain, bone loss is silent: there are no nerve endings to report it. Many patients arrive at a first appointment convinced their mouth is healthy because nothing has ever hurt.
The real signs are subtle and easy to blame on something else. Bleeding when brushing gets read as brushing too hard, when in fact a healthy gum never bleeds. Bad breath is covered with chewing gum. Receding gums are taken as a sign of age. And loose teeth are only noticed once the loss is well advanced.
That is why periodontics works with numbers rather than sensations. Probing measures the depth of each pocket at six points per tooth, and X-rays show how much bone is left. Those figures tell you where you really are, even when you feel nothing.
What is at stake if it goes untreated
The obvious consequence is tooth loss: periodontitis is the leading cause of tooth loss in adults, ahead of decay. But before that point there are uncomfortable intermediate stages, such as mobility, drifting of the front teeth, the black triangles that open up between them and constant root sensitivity.
There is also a medical dimension that often surprises people. Chronic periodontal inflammation has been associated with poorer diabetes control, with cardiovascular disease and with complications in pregnancy. It does not mean one directly causes the other, but a permanently inflamed mouth is not an isolated mouth problem.
And there is a practical cost: treating gingivitis is simple and inexpensive; treating advanced periodontitis involves surgery, and replacing lost teeth with implants and bone grafts is far longer and more expensive than keeping them would have been.
What treatment involves, step by step
The basic phase of periodontal treatment is scaling and root planing. It is done by quadrants under local anaesthetic, removing biofilm and tartar from the root surface below the gum, where neither a brush nor a conventional clean can reach. It is not a cleaning: it is a therapeutic procedure aimed at leaving the root biologically compatible so the gum can reattach.
Six to eight weeks later comes re-evaluation. The whole mouth is probed again and compared against the original map. Most pockets respond and close; those still deeper than five millimetres may need periodontal surgery to reach directly.
From there maintenance begins, and that is the part that decides the long-term result. Impeccable treatment followed by no maintenance tends to return to square one within a few years.
When it needs treating
- Gums that bleed when you brush or eat
- Persistent bad breath that brushing does not fix
- Receding gums: teeth look longer
- Teeth that move, have drifted apart or changed position
- Cold sensitivity along the gum line
- A family history of tooth loss
How we do it
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1
Periodontal assessment
We measure pocket by pocket and take X-rays to see how much bone is left. That gives us a map of your mouth.
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2
Scaling and root planing
We clean the root below the gum, where a brush cannot reach. Under local anaesthetic, in one or two sessions.
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3
Re-evaluation
A few weeks later we measure again, compare against the original map and see what responded and what did not.
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4
Maintenance
Check-ups at whatever frequency your case needs. This is the part that decides whether the result lasts.
Frequently asked questions
Can periodontitis be cured?
Not entirely, but it can be stopped. Lost bone does not come back on its own, but with treatment and maintenance the destruction halts and you keep your teeth.
Does root planing hurt?
It is done under local anaesthetic, so you will feel no pain during the session. Cold sensitivity for a few days afterwards is normal and settles on its own.
Will I lose my teeth?
It depends how much support is left when you arrive. That is why the first visit starts with an assessment: without knowing how much bone remains, nobody can answer that.
How often do I need to come?
There is no single schedule. Depending on each patient's risk, maintenance runs from three to six months.
Is periodontitis contagious?
The bacteria involved can pass between people living together via saliva, but transmission does not mean the disease develops. Whether it becomes periodontitis depends mostly on each person's immune response, genetics and factors such as smoking.
How is smoking related to periodontitis?
Smoking is the most important modifiable risk factor. It reduces blood flow to the gum, which masks bleeding and lets the disease advance more silently, and it clearly worsens the response to treatment.
If I have diabetes, does it affect my gums?
Yes, and in both directions. Poorly controlled diabetes worsens periodontitis, and active periodontitis makes blood sugar harder to control. Treating the mouth often helps metabolic control.
Is an electric toothbrush better?
Oscillating-rotating and sonic brushes tend to remove more plaque than a manual brush, but technique and consistency matter more than the device. What really changes the outcome is daily interdental cleaning.
Shall we talk?
Tell us what is going on and we will say whether this is your case or not. The first visit is about naming it.