Gum Disease Treatment

COMPREHENSIVE & EFFECTIVE GUM DISEASE TREATMENT

Dr. Bursich takes great pride in helping his patients keep their teeth and gums healthy. Gum disease is the number one cause of tooth loss. When gum disease is left untreated for too long and is not treated, there is no more support for the tooth causing bad bacteria to eat away at the gum and bone that supports the tooth root.

Only a dental professional can diagnose and treat gum disease. Other health conditions can predispose a person to having gum disease, diabetes, heart disease.

At our Sterling dental clinic, we offer non-surgical treatment to remove detrimental oral bacteria through scaling and root planing (or “Deep Cleaning”). Our hygienist is excellent and she takes care to keep our patients as comfortable as possible while striving for thorough and complete gum disease treatments.

After the procedure, Dr. Bursich and his staff provide a careful regimen of home care for you to ensure its continued effectiveness. Repeat visits in two weeks and 90 days are recommended so that Dr. Bursich can check the progress and make sure that your gums are healing properly.

Symptoms of gum disease

Warning signs of gum disease are:

Gums that bleed during tooth brushing
Gums that have pulled away from the teeth
Persistent bad breath or bad taste
Permanent teeth that are loose or separating
Any change in the way your teeth fit together when you bite

A healthy lifestyle, proper dental hygiene techniques and regular visits to the dentist are the best ways to keep your gums healthy and to avoid gum disease.

When you come in for your routine cleaning, Dr. Bursich performs a periodontal check and measures the cuff of tissue around your gums, alerting you to the health of your gums surrounding each tooth.

Gum disease can be treated in different methods, depending on the severity of the gum.

What is gum disease and what causes it?

Gum disease is the #1 cause of adult tooth loss in the US. Factors that contribute to gum disease include poor oral hygiene, irregular professional dental cleanings, smoking or chewing tobacco, certain medications, defective fillings, crooked teeth and systemic diseases. Gum disease is caused by damaging bacteria build-up in your mouth. In a healthy state, the gums around your teeth are tight, pink, do not bleed when probed, and there is little space between the gums and the teeth for bacteria to build up. If the bacteria is not removed effectively, the first stage of gum disease may cause your gums to bleed and become red and swollen (gingivitis). This may not be readily visible, especially in between and around the back teeth, but the space between the gums and teeth becomes bigger, giving bacteria populations somewhere to hide.

As the space (pocket) deepens, the bacteria change in nature and become more aggressive. Your body starts to fight this infection. The combination of the bacteria and your body’s response to them, leads to a loss of the bone that supports the teeth. This is periodontal disease or periodontitis (periodontitis — a word that comes from the combination of the smaller words: “per” meaning around, “dont” meaning tooth and “itis” meaning inflammation or infection).

Therefore, the most important thing to do is correctly diagnose the presence and severity of gum disease. We test your gums for signs of gum disease and severity and then create an appropriate treatment plan intended to prevent the spread and progression of the disease.

Schedule a Consultation with The Doctor either online or by calling our Sterling dental clinic at (703) 433-0234.

Make An Appointment

At Sterling Dental Center, we are always available to answer any questions, or to help find an appointment time that works best for you! Please feel free to call or book an appointment today!