Gum Disease Treatment for Guerneville Patients

About This Service

Gum Disease Treatment

Your gums are the foundation of your smile. They protect the bone and roots of your teeth, and when they become inflamed or diseased, everything else is at risk. Gum disease starts with inflammation (gingivitis) that you might notice as bleeding when you brush or floss, or mild swelling. If you ignore it, it progresses to periodontitis, where the infection spreads below the gum line, bone starts to recede, and teeth become loose. Many people don't realize they have gum disease until they're at their dental visit and we tell them. You can have moderate to severe periodontitis without obvious symptoms. Your gum might look a bit puffy, or you might notice they feel tender, but you could go years without noticing that your teeth are drifting or becoming loose. By the time things are obvious, we're already looking at bone loss that's hard to reverse. The good news is that gum disease in its early and moderate stages responds well to treatment. Scaling and root planing (deep cleaning below the gum line) removes the calculus and bacteria that drive infection. Combined with improved home care and regular maintenance visits, this stops the disease progression. Some patients also benefit from laser therapy, which reduces inflammation and bacterial load. At Bonin Dental Care, we catch and treat gum disease early when it's most treatable.