Gum Disease Treatment - Bonita Springs, FL

Gum disease occurs when the soft tissues protecting the roots of your teeth become infected. The earliest form of gum disease is gingivitis; at this point, a buildup of plaque and tartar causes the gums to become inflamed and bleed more easily. No permanent damage is done at this point, and the condition could still be reversible with thorough cleanings. At some point, though, untreated gingivitis could progress to periodontitis, which is a much more severe condition. The gums will start to pull away from the teeth and form pockets. Also, the underlying bone tissue will start to break down. The ultimate result of periodontitis is usually tooth loss.

Periodontal disease, also known as gum disease, affects more than half of adults over the age of 30 in the US. After the age of 35, this number jumps to 80%, and gum disease is the leading cause of tooth loss for this demographic. At Pelican Landing Dental, we do our utmost to help patients from Bonita Spring, Estero, and all of Southwest Florida prevent gum disease and maintain their healthiest smiles.

The symptoms of gum disease may be subtle at first. In many cases, you won’t even feel pain until the later stages of the infection. In many cases, however, symptoms will slowly get exponentially worse over time.

As soon as you notice symptoms that might be related to gum disease, call our dental office. You should also continue to visit us twice a year for checkups even if you don’t think there’s anything wrong with your mouth; we may end up finding warning signs that you’ve overlooked.

In the earliest stages of gum disease, commonly referred to as gingivitis, we will likely begin by performing more frequent professional teeth cleanings. Coupled with improved at home care, this may be effective in stopping the infection. However, if we’re unable to diagnose and begin treatment in the early stage, we’ll need to move on to more advanced solutions. In most situations, this means scaling and root planing. These treatments are almost always completed together. Scaling is the systematic removal of all plaque and tartar buildup. Root planing is the smoothing of tooth roots to prevent future buildup from occurring. Following this initial treatment, we will likely recommend professional cleanings at least three times each year, and patients will need to make sure their at-home oral hygiene routine is thorough.

Plaque is a byproduct of the bacteria that live in our mouths. These bacteria are a necessary part of our digestion process, but the plaque they produce can create tooth decay and gum disease. In most cases, our saliva is able to neutralize the acidic plaque, which is then removed during daily brushing and flossing. However, when the level of acid in the mouth overwhelms the ability of saliva to neutralize it, the result is plaque buildup, weakened tooth enamel, and irritated soft tissue. For this reason, patients who are suffering from gum disease benefit from a reduction in the number of bacteria in the mouth. This is accomplished through oral or topical antibiotic therapy.