Preventive
Gum Disease Treatment
Treating the infection under your gums before it loosens teeth that are otherwise healthy.
Gum disease is quiet. It rarely hurts until it is advanced, which is why people are surprised when we tell them it is there. What you might notice is bleeding when you brush, gums that look puffy or have pulled back, a bad taste that keeps coming back, or a tooth that has started to feel slightly loose.
Underneath, bacteria have worked below the gumline and the body has responded by breaking down the bone that holds the tooth in place. That bone does not grow back on its own. The goal of treatment is to stop the process where it is and keep what you still have.
Treatment starts with scaling and root planing — a deep cleaning that goes below the gumline, done with the area numbed, usually across two visits. Where pockets are deep we may also place ARESTIN, an antibiotic powder, directly into the pocket. Then we re-measure in a few months to see what changed.
Is this right for me?
- Your gums bleed most times you brush or floss, not just occasionally.
- Your gums have receded, or teeth look longer than they used to.
- Pocket measurements at your exam came back at four millimeters or deeper.
What to expect
Measuring and mapping
We record a pocket depth at six points around every tooth and note where the gums bleed. That chart is the baseline everything is compared against later.
Deep cleaning, numbed
Scaling and root planing clears hardened deposits off the root surfaces below the gum. We numb the area first. Most people have half the mouth done at a time.
Antibiotic where it is needed
In pockets that stay deep, ARESTIN goes straight into the pocket so the medication works where the infection is instead of traveling through your whole body.
Re-measure
Six to eight weeks later we measure the same points again. Numbers that came down mean it is working. Numbers that did not tell us where to concentrate next.
Maintenance
Gums that have been treated need cleaning more often than every six months, usually every three or four, to keep the pockets from refilling.
Your comfort
Deep cleaning has a reputation it mostly does not deserve. The area is fully numbed, and the discomfort people describe afterwards is more like tenderness than pain. Teeth can be sensitive to cold for a week or two while the gums tighten back up.
Insurance and payment, sorted before you sit down
We take all PPO plans, Medi-Cal Dental and most Medicare Advantage dental plans, and we check your benefits before treatment so the estimate is in writing. If you need to spread the cost, we work with CareCredit, Cherry and Sunbit.
Apply for financing — Cherry Avenue Office
- CareCredit®Apply online in a few minutes. Decision is usually immediate.
- CherryApply on your phone. The pre-qualification check does not affect your credit score.
- SunbitApplied for at the front desk when you come in — takes a few minutes.
Questions patients ask
Is gum disease reversible?
The early stage, gingivitis, usually clears up completely once the buildup is removed and you clean the area daily. Once bone has been lost, that part does not come back — but the disease can be stopped, and stopping it is what keeps the teeth.
Why do I need this if nothing hurts?
Because pain arrives late. By the time a tooth aches or feels loose from gum disease, a lot of bone is already gone. Treating it while it is painless is the whole point.
Does insurance cover deep cleaning?
Most PPO plans cover scaling and root planing when the pocket measurements and X-rays support it, which is exactly what we document. We verify your benefits and give you the estimate in writing before we start.
Will I lose teeth?
That depends on how much support is left and how the gums respond to treatment. We will show you the measurements and the X-rays and tell you honestly which teeth we are confident about and which ones we are watching.
Does smoking affect this?
Yes, considerably. Smoking reduces blood flow to the gums, which both hides the bleeding that would have warned you and slows healing after treatment. We are not going to lecture you, but it does change what we can expect.
What patients say
Dr Leila did a good job on deep cleaning and root canal, made sure that I will not feel any pain with this procedure, best dentist I’ve ever had
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Thinking about Gum Disease Treatment?
Send a request and we'll call you back to find a time. You'll get a written estimate before anything is booked in the schedule.