About Periodontal Care

What Is Gum Disease? 

Gum disease begins when plaque accumulates on the teeth and calcium from saliva hardens it. When germs that live in this tartar or calculus damage gum tissue, the body tries to fight this infection with an inflammatory attack, which causes the tissue to bleed easily when brushing or flossing. This stage of the condition is called gingivitis.  If the infection and inflammation persists, the result is a chronic inflammatory condition where the gums, ligament and bone around the teeth are destroyed-often with no symptoms. This stage is called periodontitis.

Short List of Signs/Symptoms:

• Red, swollen gums that bleed easily
• Bad breath
• Pus between teeth and gums
• Teeth that seem loose or fit together differently
• Or no symptoms at all!

Short List of Possible Health Risks:

• Alzheimer’s Disease
• Stroke
• Heart Disease
• Breast/Kidney/Pancreatic Cancer
• Diabetes

About Periodontal Treatment

With periodontal disease, the ultimate goal is to provide you with a more self-maintainable environment around your teeth and gums so that you can help prevent the recurrence of the periodontal disease and lessen your chances of requiring future therapy.

After an accurate diagnosis, treating periodontal disease successfully can be dependent on three steps:

• Improving patient oral hygiene by teaching advanced brushing and flossing techniques.
• Providing conservative periodontal therapy consisting of scaling and root planning to remove bacteria.
• Re-evaluating conditions in the mouth several weeks later to monitor improvement. At this point the patient will be placed on a routine maintenance regimen or evaluated for further therapy.

Scaling and Root Planing

Traditional periodontal care is a well-established approach for treating advanced gum disease. It involves carefully accessing infected areas to remove diseased tissue and reduce deep periodontal pockets, allowing the gums to heal properly. This method remains an effective and reliable option for complex or severe cases where extensive tissue management or reshaping is necessary, supporting long-term gum health and stability when performed by experienced periodontal specialists.

Laser Gum Disease Treatment

The LANAP® protocol is a minimally invasive laser treatment designed to treat and often reverse gum disease while preserving healthy tissue. Using targeted laser energy, it removes harmful bacteria, reduces inflammation and promotes healing without cutting or stitches. LANAP® is the only laser periodontal treatment FDA-cleared for true bone regeneration and is also used in the LAPIP® protocol to help protect and extend the life of dental implants affected by peri-implant disease.