Treatment
Gum disease is treated primarily by removing the cause of the problem - plague, calculus and bacteria. Your dentist will place you on a home care regiment to follow a course of professional cleaning. Usually, the course of treament includes:
- identification of the problem - eg lack of cleaning, failure to floss and clean enough.
- removing the debris and food from the teeth - scaling (scraping food off the tooth surface) and hand curretage (hand scaling).
- use of specialised mouthwashs - to kill bacteria.
- oral hygiene instruction.
- reassessment and recalls.
Medication is rarely prescribed, although if there is an obvious infection with pus and swelling your dentist will prescribe antibiotics for you.
Specialist Treatment Occasionally, your dentist may feel that your gum disease would be better treated by a specialist. This may be the case if:
- Your gums are not responding to treatment.
- The pockets are too deep and cannot be easily accessed.
- There is extensive bone loss with mobility.
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