Gum treatment helps prevent gum disease, treat gums that are inflamed or bleeding, and reattach loose gum tissue. Your dentist examines your teeth and oral x-rays to evaluate the health of the gums and bone supporting your teeth. Depending on the severity of your gum condition, your dentist may suggest non-surgical methods such as a professional cleaning or deep cleaning.
What is best treatment for gums?
A deep cleaning or a scaling and root planing (SRP) gets rid of plaque buildup from underneath the gum line, smoothes tooth roots, and removes bacterial byproducts that contribute to inflammation. It’s also important to control infection with antibiotics, either topical or oral.
Antibiotic mouth rinses are often used, but oral antibiotics are needed to completely eliminate infection-causing bacteria from the mouth. Your dentist can also place gels with antibiotics in pockets that form after a deep cleaning to help reduce the size and control infection.
If your periodontitis has progressed to a more severe stage, your dentist or periodontist may recommend a procedure called pocket reduction surgery. This is an advanced cleaning method that involves making small incisions into your gum, pulling the gum tissue back to expose the roots for more effective scaling and root planing, and suturing the gums into place.
Laser Assisted New Attachment Procedure (LANAP) is an alternative gum treatment that uses a narrow, intense beam of light energy to decontaminate the pockets in your gums and aid in reducing the amount of bacteria there. This allows your body to regenerate the tissues in the area and reattach the gums to your teeth more quickly.