Over half of the American public suffered from gum disease, yet less then 4% yearly seek definitive treatment. We have known for years, when present, gum (periodontal) disease, causes bleeding gums, and a full-time challenge to a patient’s overall health.
If a patient has gum disease they are more likely to have a heart attack, stroke, diabetes, many different cancers, premature weight babies, in addition to bone loss around our teeth with will eventually lead to tooth loss.
Treatments for moderate to severe gum disease have generally been definitively treated with gum surgery. In this surgery, the gum tissue is cut and rolled back, the bone reshaped, and sometimes we have attempted to add bone grafts, and sutured back together (generally without much success).
The procedure is very painful; generally leaves tooth surface exposed, leading to ugly looking long teeth and often incredible sensitivity to your teeth.