Gum Disease Treatments

Authored By: Lesley Ranft

Reviewed By: W. Peter Nordland, DMD, MS

• Gum Disease Basics

There are a number of treatments available for gum disease sufferers, each of which varies depending on the severity of the condition.

In order to determine the treatment modality that best meets your needs, your dentist will evaluate the extent of the damage caused by gum disease to develop a conservative initial plan. A dental hygiene evaluation will determine if plaque (soft deposits on the tooth) is being removed on a daily basis.

Next, calculus (also known as tartar) must be removed through a professional cleaning, and sometimes through the additional procedures of deep scaling and root planing. A local anesthetic may be administered during these procedures. Your dentist may also administer antibiotics to treat bacteria housed in the pocketed areas of the gum, and recommend a medicated mouthwash to be used as a regular part of your home regimen.

Advanced Gum Disease Treatments

Tissue Regeneration

• If the bone has been destroyed, your dentist may employ a new technique called tissue regeneration, which involves grafting the bone to offer a better chance of bone re-growth. To strengthen thin gums, soft tissue grafts may also be used.
• Guided tissue regeneration involves the insertion of a membrane to help in the bone regeneration process. This is sometimes useful during periodontal surgery.

Pocket Elimination Surgery

In some cases, surgery may be part of the treatment plan to help prevent tooth loss resulting from gum disease. Here are some surgical options:

• Periodontal flap surgery may be performed to reduce the pocket gap between the teeth and gums.
• If the jaw bone has craters housing bacteria and contributing to gum disease, the bone may be reshaped through bone surgery to eliminate the craters and help prevent future recolonization of bacteria growth.

Laser Therapy

• Laser therapy may be used to reduce pocket size; however, no definitive evidence exists to support the idea that laser therapy helps to restore connective tissue damaged as a result of gum disease.

The Cost of Gum Disease Treatment

The cost of gum disease treatment depends on several factors. For example, additional routine tooth cleaning or scaling and root planing procedures at the gingivitis stage may be required in order to help prevent the onset of gum disease. This will further affect the cost of your treatment.

Other factors affecting gum disease treatment costs include:

• The technology used in the procedure.
• The location of your dentist.
• The type of dental insurance you have.
• The type of treatment plan required.

For example, your dentist may perform the initial diagnosis and some treatment, but may refer you to a periodontist with three additional years of gum disease training who may be adept at performing more advanced treatment methods.

Gum disease treatment costs may be as little as $500, or as much as $10,000, depending on the severity of the disease.

• Gum Disease Basics

[Updated July 2008]

Back to Top