What Is Gum Treatment?
Yonsei Godeok S Dental Clinic
Gum (periodontal) treatment addresses periodontal disease, a condition so common that about 8 out of 10 adults experience it. If left untreated, gum disease dissolves the jawbone that supports your teeth, weakening the structures that hold them in place — teeth become loose and may ultimately need to be extracted. That is why it is best to seek treatment immediately rather than leaving it untreated.
How Gum Disease Progresses
- Step 1 — Healthy gums
- Step 2 — Progression to gingivitis
- Step 3 — Early periodontitis
- Step 4 — Progression to severe periodontitis
Symptoms When Gum Disease Is Left Untreated
- You experience gum pain or bleeding when eating or brushing your teeth.
- You develop bad breath that you did not have before, or your mouth feels stale and uncomfortable.
- The gums fail to properly surround the teeth, so the gums and teeth appear to recede.
- Inflammation (gingivitis, periodontitis) weakens the gums, causing the teeth to become loose.
Gum Treatment by Stage
The treatment method varies depending on how far the periodontal disease has progressed. We therefore recommend getting examined early — before symptoms appear — as a preventive approach.
- Scaling (tartar removal) — Prevents periodontal disease before it develops and quickly treats early-stage gum problems.
- Gum (periodontal) treatment — At the stage where periodontitis has developed, removes inflamed tissue from within the gums.
- Gum surgery — For severe periodontitis, professional surgical treatment is required.