Deep Gum Treatment

We employ our ‘Enjoyable Dentistry Technique™’ so that our deep gum treatment shouldn’t hurt and you’ll be relaxed and comfortable throughout.

Afterwards, it’s normal for your gums to feel a little tender and for your teeth to be sensitive to hot and cold for a few days, sometimes up to a week, as everything heals. This settles on its own, and we’ll give you advice on easing it and keeping the area clean while it recovers.

The most common early sign is gums that bleed when you brush or floss, along with redness, swelling or tenderness. Bad breath or a lingering bad taste, gums that seem to be pulling back so your teeth look longer, increased sensitivity, and teeth that feel loose or have started to shift can all point to gum disease too.

One thing worth knowing is that early gum disease is often painless, which is exactly why it can go unnoticed until it’s more advanced. So you don’t need to wait for discomfort. If you’ve spotted any of these signs, especially bleeding gums, it’s a good idea to have them checked, since gum disease responds far better to treatment the earlier it’s caught.

The first stage of gum disease, known as gingivitis, is characterised by inflammation and bleeding of the gums. If left untreated, gingivitis can progress to periodontitis, a more severe form of gum disease. Periodontitis can cause the gums to recede, exposing the roots of the teeth and leading to tooth loss. It’s worth noting that gum disease has been linked to various systemic health issues, including heart disease and diabetes.

Deep gum treatment, sometimes called scaling and root planing, is a thorough cleaning that reaches below the gumline where everyday brushing can’t. We carefully remove the hardened plaque and tartar from the tooth roots and the pockets around them, then smooth the root surfaces so the gums can heal and tighten back against the teeth. It’s done under local anaesthetic to keep you comfortable, and depending on how much needs doing, it may be carried out over more than one visit.

Good daily habits do most of the work. Brush twice a day thoroughly for two minutes, and clean between your teeth every day with floss or interdental brushes, since that’s where gum disease often starts and where a toothbrush can’t reach. Regular check-ups and hygiene appointments then catch anything building up before it becomes a problem.

A few other things make a real difference. Not smoking is one of the biggest, as smoking significantly raises the risk of gum disease and masks its signs. Keeping conditions like diabetes well managed helps too. And if you’ve already had deep gum treatment, keeping up your maintenance visits is the single best way to stop the disease from coming back.

Most people find the initial soreness and sensitivity settle within one to two weeks. In the first few days, your gums may feel tender and a little swollen, and it’s normal for them to bleed slightly while they heal, all of which eases quickly.

The greater improvement takes longer. As the inflammation calms down, your gums gradually firm up and reattach more closely to the teeth, and the pockets shrink, which can take a couple of months to fully show. We’ll usually review you during this time to check how things are healing. Keeping the area clean as we advise and staying on top of your maintenance visits is what turns that early healing into a lasting result.