When it comes to dental health, creating and maintaining ideal oral hygiene should be any patient’s first priority in taking care of their teeth, mouth, and gums. This is probably the point that our dentists stress the most too, even more so than that ever-present, “Don’t forget your next checkup!” reminder that we hear.

And the message on consistent oral hygiene is repeated for a good reason too. When we don’t take good care of our teeth on a regular basis, this can lead to tooth decay and gum disease. The first stage of such disease is called gingivitis. The Mayo Clinic defines gingivitis as:

“Gingivitis is a common and mild form of gum disease (periodontal disease) that causes irritation, redness and swelling (inflammation) of your gingiva, the part of your gum around the base of your teeth. It's important to take gingivitis seriously and treat it promptly. Gingivitis can lead to much more serious gum disease called periodontitis and tooth loss.”

The second stage of gingivitis, the one we’ll be focusing on in this article, is called periodontitis. The Mayo Clinic defines periodontitis as:

“Periodontitis is a serious gum infection that damages the soft tissue and destroys the bone that supports your teeth. Periodontitis can cause teeth to loosen or lead to tooth loss. Periodontitis is common but largely preventable. It's usually the result of poor oral hygiene.”

We might think something along the lines of, “I take okay care of my teeth, periodontitis will never happen to me,” but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that close to half of all American adults over the age of thirty suffer from some stage of periodontitis. Ouch. That’s an unpleasant statistic, to say the least.

• The first approach your dentist would go for would be the least invasive, which would involve tooth scaling and root planing. Tooth scaling uses the “scaler” instrument that we all know too well from dental cleanings, that metallic, hook-like instrument used to scrape tartar and plaque off our teeth. First, this is used, and then a root planing device is used to smooth the surface of the tooth to prevent bacteria from reattaching.


• If the first approach is not sufficient, the next level of care would be a pocket reduction. Pocket reduction involves folding back the gum tissue around the teeth, removing infectious bacteria from where the teeth meet the gum, and allowing the gums to then reattach to clean, smooth, bacteria-free teeth.


• Another approach is to use gum grafts if gum recession has occurred and tooth roots are now exposed. In this case, gum tissue will be taken from the patient’s palate or another source, and it will be grafted onto the exposed tooth roots, thereby protecting the teeth and preventing the advancement of periodontitis.