Treatment of Periodontal (Gum) Disease in Cornwall

Our highly experienced clinicians will carry out this specialist periodontal clean using the gold standard minimally invasive AIRFLOW technology for your comfort and fine ultrasonic scalers to thoroughly deep clean around the teeth and below the gumline effectively removing all plaque biofilm, hard tartar and stain in areas where your toothbrush cant reach. This is followed by a strict oral hygiene regime and maintenance appointments to ensure gum disease is kept at bay.

Prior to your treatment a detailed chart is taken including - pocket depths, bleeding, recession, and mobility to assess the severity of your gum disease.

Quarter Mouth Deep Clean:
30 mins from £80
Half Mouth Deep Clean:
60 mins from £160
Full Mouth Deep Clean:
From £360

* These prices are a guideline only and will vary from patient to patient depending on the severity of gum disease.

Gum Disease treatment - Non Surgical Periodontal Therapy

Our hygienists carry out routine oral health assessments of patient’s teeth and gums on every appointment. They may realise a presence of periodontal disease in your mouth to which their duty of care will be to explain how gum disease occurs and what treatment options we recommend to treat the condition. We will advise how you can help to improve your periodontal condition, starting with a tailored oral hygiene regime.

This will include:

Toothbrushing twice a day, this will remove 60% of the plaque and bacteria on the teeth
Using interdental brushes and or floss will remove the remaining 40% of plaque in between the gaps of your teeth
Temporary use of a medicated mouthwash to reduce inflammation and bleeding - we often advise to dip your interdental brushes in this mouthwash.

Treatment Day

Our highly experienced hygienist team will use the very best equipment and technology to ensure your comfort and guided biofilm therapy enables us to directly target our cleaning. The use of numbing gel followed by local anaesthetic may be required in areas that are more sensitive and sore due to swollen gums. The hygienist will thoroughly deep clean and remove calculus build up around and below the gum line when the patient is comfortable and ready to proceed.

Once the prescribed treatment plan is complete we leave patients for 2-3 months to allow the gums to heal, this is when your home teeth cleaning needs to be at its best to ensure gum health results improve.

2-3 month Review Appointment

We recommend a follow up review appointment so we can re-chart your periodontal pockets, and bleeding scores to monitor your bodies healing response from the prescribed deep clean treatment.

This ‘review appointment’ costs £60 - £80 depending on the severity of the patient's gum disease. During this appointment the hygienist will clean around the teeth, gum line and pockets promoting the health of your gums whilst re-enforcing your oral hygiene regime to ensure plaque levels are low. With regular maintenance, this will ensure the gums will continue to improve over time.

For long term stabilisation of the gums we advise regular supportive maintenance cleans. This is important to prevent future plaque and tartar build up and allow you to manage and live with optimal oral health with ease.

Post-Treatment Day

Your mouth will likely be numb for a few hours after our deep clean appointment
Most people experience some mild discomfort and sensitivity following this treatment for a few days however this will subside so don’t be alarmed
Avoid strenuous exercise on the day after treatment as this increase blood flow
Maintain a strict oral hygiene routine and toothbrushing twice a day

What Is Gum Disease?

It refers to an infection of the tissue that surrounds and holds your teeth in place. There are two distinct stages to periodontal disease: The first stage, gingivitis, involves swelling and reddening of the gum tissue. The second, periodontitis, can mean the gums actually pulling away from teeth, bones deteriorating, and teeth loosening and potentially falling out.

What Causes It?

The simplest explanation for what causes periodontal disease is plaque bacteria. The plaque that builds up daily eventually hardens into tartar (calculus) if not brushed away. This tartar spreads and overtime it builds up below the gum line causing a gum disease. Inflammation, bleeding, bad breath and soreness will set in and if left untreated will cause damage to the gums and supporting bone holding the teeth in position.

What Are Its Risk Factors?

While bacteria is the main culprit behind periodontal disease, there are a number of lifestyle or behaviour factors that can increase the persons chances of it developing and progressing. Some of the leading risk factors are:

Smoking discuises bleeding so people who smoke don’t realise they have gum disease
Poor oral hygiene (not brushing teeth regularly twice a day, not using interdental brushes/aids)
Diabetes- treating gum disease can improve your diabetes
Diseases that suppress the immune system- reduced / slow healing of the gums
Medications that reduce saliva production
Hormonal changes in girls and women
Stress
Crooked teeth
Genetic predisposition

What Are Its Warning Signs?

Some of the most common and obvious signs of periodontal disease include:

Red/swollen gums
Tender/bleeding gums
Persistent bad breath or bad taste in the mouth
Sensitive teeth
Pain when chewing
Changes to your bite
Pulling away of gum tissue from teeth
Loose teeth

How Is It Treated?

Once a dentist or hygienist has diagnosed the periodontal disease from their initial oral health assessment they can provide some dental options to help improve and resolve the issues. Patients should keep in mind that the success of any treatment option is going to depend on their willingness to keep up good oral hygiene habits at home. That said, the early stage of periodontal disease — gingivitis — can be treated with regular cleanings from your hygienist in concert with daily brushing and flossing. More advanced periodontal disease might require further treatment options, such as deep-cleaning of the teeth roots below the gum surface or referral to a periodontal specialist.