How is Gum Disease Treated?

Don’t be alarmed by a diagnosis of gum disease. Nearly half of American adults have it, and most gum disease is reversible. But early detection is important, so the first line of defense is regular checkups with your Beverly Hills dentists.

Early gum disease is just gingivitis, which you may have noticed if your gums bleed slightly after brushing or flossing. Adding a few home remedies to your oral hygiene can help minimize gingivitis. Make a paste out of garlic and turmeric, and apply it to your teeth, like toothpaste, for several minutes before rinsing. Or gargle with organic olive or mustard oil, which is a good way to remove oral toxins.

Your dentist may schedule you for scaling and root planing, which is an artful form of deep cleaning. Using either ultrasonics or hand instruments, the dentist removes the plaque from below the gum line and painstakingly smooths all your root surfaces to make them less susceptible to bacteria.

If you’ve developed periodontal pockets—caused by the inflamed gums pulling away from the teeth—you may need pocket reduction surgery. This is an extreme version of scaling and root planing, in which our expert in periodontal treatments in Beverly Hills lifts the gums and fits them more securely over the teeth.