Gum treatment
Healthy gums do not bleed! Gum problems
affect more than 85% of the population.
Frequently asked questions about gum
treatment
If my tooth is loose, can it be saved by gum treatment?
A common question. The answer is not simple. How loose is the tooth? Is it just the gum that’s holding it or is it the bone? Has the bone retracted evenly around the entire circumference of the tooth, or is the bone pocket deeper in some places? Is there a general health problem, medication, osteoporosis or not?
These are just the most basic questions, we have not yet gone into the depths of gum treatment diagnosis. As you can see, there is no clear answer, there are as many possible solutions as there are cases.
One thing is certain, and it is true for all gum treatments in general! Gum decay, even if it cannot be stopped, can be slowed down in most cases. Time is working against you. The sooner you act, the more options you have and the more bone you have that can be saved. The question with gum treatment is not whether it can be saved, but when to start!
What is the best gum treatment for bleeding gums?
There can be reasons for bleeding gums, from the most minor to the most severe. So the first step is always diagnosis. Fortunately, in more than half of the cases, a thorough ultrasonic scaling is perfectly sufficient to eliminate bleeding gums. This basic gum treatment removes the tartar and therefore the bacteria that cause inflammation.
If there are more serious gum pockets around some teeth or several teeth, a gum brushing or laser treatment may be needed after the ultrasonic scaling. If there is a serious recurrent gum infection without serious tartar build-up, then antimicrobial photodynamic therapy may be necessary, which kills 99% of the pathogenic bacteria without drugs or side effects!
What tests are needed before gum treatment?
A thorough oral examination, X-ray and in some cases 3 D CBCT scan is required before gum treatment. The first step is always to make a diagnosis. The oral examination can determine the cause of the bleeding gums, the presence and approximate depth of any gum pockets and the mobility of the teeth. A two-dimensional panoramic X-ray gives a general overview of the situation and can be used to determine whether there is generalised periodontal disease, i.e. destruction of the entire tooth. If the process involves only one tooth, an intraoral X-ray is taken of that tooth, allowing a more thorough examination. If a more serious diagnosis is required, a 3-dimensional CBCT of the tooth may be performed.
What is a dental curette? Is it painful?
Dental curettage is gum treatment under dental anaesthesia. It is therefore not painful. Before the treatment, an ultrasonic scaling is performed, during which the larger and supra-gingival calculus is removed. Dental curettage is used to remove calculus deposited in the deeper gum pockets and on the root surfaces. These are the places where the ultrasonic device can no longer reach, so it cannot remove fine build-up. The curette is essentially a sharp instrument in the shape of a speculum, which the dentist or dental hygienist works with by stroking the surface of the root deep inside the pouch. The aim of curettage is to make the root surface completely smooth. A smooth surface allows regeneration to begin. In many cases, laser gum treatment is recommended after curettage to tighten loose tissue.
With the Biolitec surgical laser, we destroy bacteria and vaporize granulation tissue deep inside the gum pockets. The laser light has a biostimulating effect in the bone, which means regeneration. Laser treatments can achieve good results for slightly loosened teeth. The bone does not rebuild, but the tissues that support the tooth are firmer after treatment.
Laser treatment is not a stand-alone therapy, but part of a series of treatments. It is a stage before and after which further gum treatments can be given. The first step is always a thorough scaling. For deeper pockets, the gum treatment continues with a gum brushing, when the build-up in the smaller, deeper areas is also removed. The next step depends on the depth of the pockets, the general health and the initial cause. In many cases curettage is followed by laser treatment, in others antimicrobial photodynamic therapy is sufficient.
Before laser gum treatment, it is necessary to determine exactly what kind of gum disease you have. It is not worth sticking to a particular treatment, but to first find the cause of the problem and choose the right treatment. Laser treatment is never the first step in gum treatment. If it is necessary – for example, in the case of loose teeth, but only if there is still enough bone to hold the tooth in place after treatment – the first step is always a thorough ultrasonic scaling. Laser treatment can only be performed in a clean environment with a smooth tooth surface, otherwise it is useless.
So, if you believe in laser gum treatment, it’s great and will work very well if you follow the necessary treatment steps, which in most cases are as follows:
1. ultrasonic scaling
2. curettage
3. laser gum treatment
Of course, you are not alone in this problem. Around one in 20 patients are sensitive to plaque, so they are treated under anaesthesia. It is worth trying Guided Biofilm Therapy, which is performed by our staff using the Swiss EMS ultrasonic machine. This ultrasound machine is much more gentle than the basic machine, so pain is not typical for more sensitive patients.
Tooth splinting is the process of fixing loose teeth together to make them hold better against the forces of chewing and the tongue. Before splinting, it is always necessary to have an ultrasonic scaling, sometimes a dental curettage or laser gum treatment. Clean, slightly moving teeth can then be bonded.
There are several ways of splinting, but in general it is true that the splint never touches the gum and the teeth around the splint can be cleaned. The effect of splinting is to stabilise slightly moving teeth. It is important that home care of splinted teeth and regular dental check-ups (at least every 3 months!) are emphasised to ensure that the condition is as durable as possible!
The steps of gum treatment
Health check
Panoramic X-ray
Ultrasonic descaling
Antimicrobial therapy
Periodontal curette
Laser gum treatment
Treatment of gingivitis,
gum disease
Guided Biofilm Therapy
Antimicrobial therapy
Laser gum treatment
Dr. Mónika Pulai
Dentist, aesthetic dentistry