Periodontal disease, or gum disease, affects millions of Americans. It is a painless infection of the tissues surrounding and supporting the teeth and is the largest cause of tooth loss. Often, patients do not even know they have periodontal disease. Since it can lead to serious complications like tooth loss it is important that it is diagnosed and treated. Recent studies also suggest possible relationships between periodontal infection and heart disease, diabetes and increased incidence of pre-term, low-birth weight babies. Recent studies have even indicated a relationship between periodontal disease and pancreatic and oral cancers.

Signs and symptoms of periodontal disease include bleeding, swollen or tender gums, bad breath that doesn’t go away, loose teeth, pus between your teeth and gums, or a change in the way your teeth fit together.

The good news is that detection of periodontal disease is relatively simple, utilizing diagnostic procedures which we will perform.

We have found the most effective treatment for slight to moderate cases of periodontal disease is to perform scaling and root planning (deep cleaning above and below the gum line)