Gum Disease Treatment – Waco, TX

You should always maintain and protect your teeth, but they aren't the only crucial parts of your smile. The gums are another big player in your oral health, and they'll cause severe issues if they get infected. That said, you're in luck; our practice offers amazing gum disease treatment in Waco! This procedure heals and strengthens weak gums, ensuring they stabilize your grin. Learn more about it by reading below, or book a consultation with us soon.

What is Gum Disease?

At its core, gum disease is an infection of the gums – the pink tissues around your teeth. The condition stems from plaque buildup due to poor oral hygiene, bad eating habits, and so on. However, it also becomes more likely if other specific factors (genetics, smoking habits, etc.) apply.

The two stages of gum disease are gingivitis and periodontitis. With the first, your gums suffer from a slight inflammation that’s irritating but often reversible (with proper care). Periodontitis, meanwhile, is a full-blown infection that attacks the gums and jaw tissues; it can only be managed, not reversed.

Symptoms of Gum Disease

Gum disease can cause a wide range of symptoms, given that it has two stages. Which signs you show will depend on your infection’s severity, progress rate, and similar elements.

As the first phase of gum disease, gingivitis has (relatively) mild symptoms. These include:

• Gum irritation and swelling
• Bleeding gums
• Receding gum tissues
• Chronic bad breath (i.e., halitosis)

Periodontitis’ signs are often quite harsh. For example, the most common ones are:

• Loose permanent teeth
• Tooth sensitivity (often due to gum recession)
• Chewing pain
• A shifting bite
• Changes in a restoration’s fit
• Permanent loss of teeth

How Do We Treat Gum Disease?

After Dr. Winarick checks your smile, she’ll recommend one or more gum disease treatment options. These are:

Scaling & Root Planing

Most cases of gum disease are treated with scaling and root planing, a “deep cleaning” of your gums. The scaling first removes plaque deposits from under and around your gums, using special instruments to do so. Treatment then shifts to root planing – a process that smooths your tooth roots to reduce your re-infection risk. When both steps are performed, the result is a much healthier set of gum tissues; this effect is even greater when scaling and root planing are combined with other options.

Antibiotic Therapy

If your case is severe, we'll suggest you get antibiotic therapy. This service – performed with scaling and root planing – applies a topical antibiotic to your infected gums. The medicine will then kill the bacteria harming your gum tissue over a period of two weeks or so. After that period, your gums should be much healthier and have much smaller pockets.