Gum Treatment
Healthy gums are the foundation of every healthy smile.
From early-stage gum disease to advanced periodontitis — including pocket reduction surgery, gingivectomy, and bone grafting — handled here with a step-by-step approach that starts conservative and uses surgery only when truly needed.
Signs You May Have Gum Disease
Gum disease often progresses silently, with little to no pain in the early stages. These are the signs to watch for.
Bleeding or Swollen Gums
Gums that bleed when you brush or floss are not normal — they’re an early sign of inflammation. Healthy gums don’t bleed.
If your gums also appear red, swollen, or tender to the touch, you’re likely in the early stage of gum disease (gingivitis). The good news is that gingivitis is fully reversible with proper treatment and home care.
Persistent Bad Breath or Bad Taste
Bad breath that doesn’t go away with brushing, or a persistent unpleasant taste in your mouth, often comes from bacteria deep beneath the gums.
This is one of the most common signs of progressing gum disease — bacteria release sulfur compounds that no amount of mouthwash can permanently mask.
Loose Teeth or Receding Gums
Teeth that feel slightly loose, or gums that appear to be pulling away from your teeth (making teeth look longer), indicate that gum disease has progressed beyond the early stage.
At this point, the supporting bone around your teeth has started to be lost. Without treatment, tooth loss becomes a real possibility — but with proper care, the disease can still be controlled and further damage prevented.
What Sets 365 E-LOOK Apart
Gum disease has many stages — and effective treatment requires the right approach for each. Here’s how we manage it.
Step-by-Step Approach
We don’t jump straight to surgery. Most cases of gum disease — even moderately advanced ones — respond well to non-surgical treatment.
We start with a thorough deep cleaning (scaling and root planing), monitor how the tissue responds, and only proceed to surgical treatment if it’s truly needed. This conservative approach gives you the best long-term outcome with the least intervention.
Antibiotic Gel for Faster Healing
After deep cleaning, we often apply minocycline-based antibiotic gel directly into the periodontal pockets. This delivers antibacterial action precisely where it’s needed, accelerating healing and helping the gums reattach to the tooth surface.
Targeted local antibiotics work better than systemic ones for gum disease — they reach concentrations at the infection site that oral antibiotics can’t match, with fewer side effects.
Surgical Skill When Needed
For advanced cases that need surgical treatment, we offer a full range of options including periodontal flap surgery, gingivectomy (gum recontouring), and bone grafting.
Each of our three directors has over a decade of surgical experience and routinely handles these procedures — meaning you don’t need a hospital referral for advanced gum surgery. The same doctor who diagnosed you performs the surgery and follows up afterward.
What to Expect
Gum disease treatment is tailored to the severity. Most cases are managed with 2 to 4 visits; severe cases may require additional steps.
Step 1 — Diagnosis & Imaging
Your first visit begins with a comprehensive periodontal examination — measuring pocket depths around each tooth, checking for bleeding, and assessing gum recession.
We also take X-rays (or low-dose 3D CT for advanced cases) to evaluate bone loss around the tooth roots. This complete picture lets us determine the stage of disease and design the right treatment plan.
Duration: about 30 to 45 minutes for the first visit.
Step 2 — Gradual Anesthesia
For deep cleaning of inflamed gum tissue, local anesthesia keeps you comfortable. Before any injection, we apply a topical anesthetic gel to numb the surface, then deliver local anesthesia using our computer-controlled slow-injection system — significantly reducing the “pinch” of the needle.
For mild cases or maintenance cleanings, anesthesia may not be necessary.
Duration: 5 to 10 minutes for full anesthesia.
Step 3 — Non-Surgical Treatment
The foundation of gum disease treatment is scaling and root planing — a thorough deep cleaning that removes plaque and tartar from below the gumline and smooths the root surfaces so gums can reattach.
We typically apply minocycline-based antibiotic gel into the deeper pockets to help eliminate remaining bacteria and accelerate healing. Most patients show significant improvement after this stage alone, especially when combined with good home care.
Follow-up evaluation is scheduled 4 to 6 weeks later to assess healing.
Duration: 60 to 90 minutes per quadrant; often split across multiple visits.
Step 4 — Surgical Treatment (If Needed)
For advanced cases that don’t fully respond to non-surgical treatment, surgical options include:
· Periodontal flap surgery — lifting the gum to access deep pockets for thorough cleaning
· Gingivectomy — removing or reshaping excess gum tissue
· Bone grafting — rebuilding lost bone around teeth in select cases
Surgery is recommended only when truly needed, and we’ll discuss every option clearly before proceeding. Most patients heal well with proper aftercare and return to normal activities within a few days.
Duration: varies by procedure (typically 60 to 90 minutes).
Common Questions About Gum Treatment
Can gum disease be cured?
Early-stage gum disease (gingivitis) can be fully reversed with proper treatment and home care.
Once gum disease has progressed to periodontitis — meaning bone has been lost — the disease can be controlled and stabilized, but the lost bone doesn’t fully grow back on its own. The goal at this stage shifts from “cure” to “stop the progression and preserve what remains.”
The earlier you start treatment, the better the outcome. That’s why early signs like bleeding gums shouldn’t be ignored.
Does deep cleaning hurt?
Deep cleaning (scaling and root planing) can be uncomfortable, which is why we use local anesthesia for any case beyond mild gingivitis.
With our gradual anesthesia technique — topical numbing first, then computer-controlled slow injection — most patients are comfortable throughout the procedure. After treatment, gums may feel tender and sensitive for a few days, but it’s typically manageable with over-the-counter pain medication.
How is the antibiotic gel different from regular antibiotics?
The antibiotic gel (minocycline-based) is applied directly into the periodontal pocket, delivering high concentrations of antibiotic exactly where the bacteria are. It releases gradually over several days, providing sustained antibacterial action.
This is significantly more effective for gum disease than oral antibiotics, which spread throughout the body and reach lower concentrations at the infection site. Local delivery also means fewer side effects and lower overall antibiotic exposure for your body.
What happens if I don't treat gum disease?
Untreated gum disease tends to progress slowly but steadily over years:
· Bleeding and swelling become chronic
· Bad breath becomes persistent
· Gums recede further, exposing tooth roots
· Bone around teeth continues to dissolve
· Teeth become loose and may eventually need to be extracted
Beyond the mouth, untreated gum disease has been linked to increased risk of heart disease, diabetes complications, and other systemic conditions. Treating gum disease isn’t just about saving teeth — it’s about overall health.
What about TRICARE coverage?
The TRICARE Dental Program (TDP) covers most periodontal procedures, including scaling and root planing, periodontal maintenance, and surgical treatments.
For Command-Sponsored patients, coverage is generally favorable. Patients with certain medical conditions like diabetes may qualify for enhanced periodontal benefits with more frequent cleanings covered.
For Non-Command-Sponsored patients, partial coverage may apply. We verify your specific coverage before treatment and provide a clear cost breakdown.
Bleeding Gums? Don't Ignore It.
Gum disease in its early stages is highly treatable — but it gets harder to reverse the longer it’s left untreated. The sooner you come in, the more we can do to protect your teeth and your overall health.
A consultation with a complete periodontal examination applies a fee, as accurate diagnosis requires proper measurements and imaging. With that information, we’ll explain the stage of gum disease, the recommended treatment plan, and what results you can expect.
Phone: 031-8029-6622
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