However, over the last 10 years the vast majority of patients referred to Dr Smyth obtain great results and substantially decelerate the progress of this common dental problem.

What happens if periodontal disease is untreated?

Without treatment gum disease will progress painlessly until teeth become loose and you develop painful gum and tooth abscesses. If the disease reaches an advanced stage the teeth need to be removed and replaced with dentures or expensive dental implants and fixed bridges.

What is adult gum disease or periodontal disease?

It is characterised by red, swollen and bleeding gums, there is often hard calculus deposits on teeth. Patients may complain of a bad taste or bad breath.

The benefit of a periodontal detoxification

The good news is that with thorough dental care and good home tooth cleaning twice a day the progress of the disease is nearly always decelerated. Some of the worst effected teeth may be lost, but the healthy remaining natural teeth can be used to support small bridges and the patient avoids losing all their teeth and their smile.

What does the treatment involve?

The treatment involves 3 stages:

Preparation– gum measurements are made and x-ray pictures taken to assess the extent of the gum disease, usually 1 hour of clinic time.

The periodontal detoxification – at one long appointment the hard deposits (calculus and plaque) which stick to the roots of teeth are cleaned away from above and below the gum line. Local anaesthetic is used to make this visit as comfortable as possible, a simple sedation procedure is beneficial for patients who are anxious about dental treatment. This is usually takes about 3 or 4 hours of clinic time.

Once the gum pockets are meticulously clean, medicine is applied below the gum. If there are any teeth that have lost all their gum support they are planned for careful removal, any rough filings/ crowns are polished to make them smooth and easy to keep clean.

Regular maintenance – visits every 3 months with our dental therapist for tooth cleaning and an annual examination with Dr Smyth.

What to expect immediately after treatment

Most people are very comfortable after treatment, mild painkillers such as Ibuprofen are rarely necessary. Your home care includes the removal the daily build-up of dental plaque twice a day using a tooth brush, Te-Pe brushes, dental tape and Super Floss. We will demonstrate how to use these cleaning aids.

We provide a medicated toothpaste and mouthwash – once this has been used up you can use your regular fluoridated toothpaste.

Visiting the dental hygienist or therapist

Mouths that have experienced some periodontal disease in the past are very difficult to keep clean by home care alone, all patients need additional support. Regular visits for professional tooth cleaning with our dental therapist Catherine help maintain optimal gum health by addressing the hard to reach locations and removing any calculus deposits that form there which harbour bad bacteria.

Most of our adult patients attend for tooth cleaning 4 times a year. A dental therapist has an additional years training and in addition to hygiene has extended duties e.g. can provide children’s dentistry. Dental therapists and dental hygienists are expert at using hand instruments and carry out meticulous fine scaling and polishing procedures.

After gum treatment  the calculus deposits have been removed and there is excellent home care, the gum swelling/redness decreases, the gums become pink and healthy. The gums can shrink back a little as part of the natural healing process, this can make teeth look longer and expose yellow/orange roots. Sensitive tooth paste can help reduce any root tooth sensitivity.

Future treatment

Most patients visit the therapist four times a year and have an annual examination with Dr Smyth. In our experience most patients have a great result, their mouth’s feel better and the progress of the disease is decelerated.

Some patients may have one or two teeth with poor gum support and these teeth may be planned for removal and replacement with small bridges e.g. Maryland bridges.

We hope this information helps you make good decisions about your dental care, if you have any further questions please use our contact form or call us on 0151 423 1601