Treating Ongoing Periodontal (Gum) Problems

If you have been informed that you have periodontal disease, it is helpful to understand some of the aspects of treatment. One of the first and possibly the most important is behavior change. Simply put, you must make changes in your oral hygiene routine to prevent or limit future disease. The next aspect of treatment typically is removing the calculus or tartar and other bacterial toxins that have become ingrained into the root surfaces of your teeth. Periodontal cleaning, root planing by ultrasonic and hand scaling instruments, will be carried out usually with local anesthesia (mild numbing of the affected areas). These painless procedures promote infection control and healing while requiring little more than aspirin or ibuprofen for a day or two following treatment. Learn about other treatment options in “Understanding Gum (Periodontal) Disease.”