Gum Treatments in East London

Ultrasmile/General Dentistry in East London/Gum Treatments in East London

Gum Disease Treatment in East London

Gum disease is very common – it affects more than half of adults with natural teeth. It can be treated by a dentist, hygienist or periodontist and in the early stages the effects can be reversed.

What is Gum Disease?

There are three main types of gum disease: gingivitis, periodontitis and acute necrotising ulcerative gingivitis (ANUG).


If you have gingivitis, your gums become irritated by plaque, which is a mixture of food, bacteria and bacterial waste products that can build up on your teeth. If you don’t clean plaque off your teeth regularly, your gums will become red, swollen and shiny, and they may bleed. This is the early stage of gum disease and is completely reversible. If you remove the plaque, your gums will recover. But if you don’t clean the plaque off your teeth, the gingivitis may develop into periodontitis.


In certain individuals, the irritation caused by plaque and tartar and the body’s inflammatory response to it, starts to affect the bony structure supporting your teeth.

As time goes on, the pockets get deeper and more difficult to clean, and the gum and bone recede from the roots, so that some of the root may be visible.

As you lose support for your teeth, they may become mobile. This stage is called periodontitis. Periodontitis refers to a number of inflammatory diseases affecting the tissues that surround and support the teeth.

Periodontitis involves progressive loss of the alveolar bone around the teeth, and if left untreated, can lead to the loosening and subsequent loss of teeth.

Periodontitis is caused by bacteria that adhere to and grow on the tooth’s surfaces, along with an overly aggressive immune response against these bacteria.

A diagnosis of periodontitis is established by inspecting the soft gum tissues around the teeth with a periodontal probe and by visual analysis of radiographs, to determine the amount of bone loss around the teeth.

Unfortunately, periodontal disease is never cured, but can be controlled or slowed by an effective oral hygiene regime incorporating both the patient and dental team. This includes debridement by the Dentist or Periodontist, and in some cases medicaments to remove bacteria (chlorhexidene) or to encourage periodontal tissue regeneration.

Acute necrotising ulcerative gingivitis

ANUG, also known as ‘trench mouth’, is a severe type of gum disease that develops suddenly. It can be treated with good dental hygiene, including brushing your teeth twice a day, and antibiotics.

What are the symptoms of gum disease?

You may not know that you have gum disease. Often it’s not painful and you might not get any symptoms. This is one of the reasons why it’s important that you attend regular check-ups with your dentist.

Usually the first signs of gingivitis are:

  • Bleeding gums when you brush your teeth
  • Red and swollen gums

If gingivitis has developed into periodontitis, you may have:

  • A bad taste in your mouth
  • A wobbly tooth or teeth
  • Gum abscesses (pus that collects under your gum)

The symptoms of ANUG include:

  • Painful ulcers that develop suddenly and bleed easily
  • Bad breath
  • A receding of the V-shaped bits of gum between your teeth
  • Feeling generally unwell

If you have any of these symptoms, you should give us a call straight away.

Causes of gum disease

Gum disease happens when plaque builds up around teeth that aren’t cleaned properly. This is more likely to happen if you find it difficult to clean your teeth well, for example if you wear braces or dentures, or have irregularities in your teeth that you can’t reach with a toothbrush.

There are other factors that can make you more likely to get gum disease, for example if you smoke or have diabetes. You may also be more likely to get gingivitis during hormonal changes, such as during pregnancy or puberty.
Diagnosis of gum disease

Your UltraSmile* dentist will ask about your symptoms and examine you. He or she may also ask you about your medical history.

Gingivitis can usually be diagnosed just by your dentist looking at your teeth. But if your dentist thinks you have periodontitis, he or she may look at your mouth more thoroughly and check for gum disease using a periodontal probe. This is used to measure how far your gum has pulled away from your teeth. Your dentist will do this by putting the probe beside each tooth and underneath your gum line to check how well your gums are attached to your teeth.

You may also need to have X-rays to check the condition of your teeth and jaw bone.

Treatment of gum disease

The type of treatment you have will depend on how severe your gum disease has become. Your UltraSmile* dentist may refer you for treatment with our dental hygienist – a health professional who specialises in the prevention and treatment of dental conditions such as periodontal disease.

If you have severe gum disease, your UltraSmile* dentist may refer you for treatment with our periodontologist (a health professional who specialises in treating gum disease).


If you have gingivitis, your UltraSmile* dentist or hygienist will clean your teeth thoroughly with a gritty toothpaste using an electric toothbrush and special instruments called scalers. This type of thorough cleaning is called scaling. Your hygienist may also recommend an antiseptic mouthwash that will help to prevent plaque forming, and will help you learn how to brush and floss your teeth properly.

If gingivitis has developed into periodontitis or you have ANUG, you may need more extensive scaling to remove plaque and tartar from the periodontal pockets. This can require several appointments. Your UltraSmile* dentist or hygienist may need to inject a local anaesthetic into your gums before the scaling. This will completely block the feeling from your gums, and you will remain awake during the treatment. Your dentist or hygienist will monitor the size of the periodontal pockets during the following months to make sure the treatment has been successful and the periodontitis isn’t getting any worse.

Gum surgery

You may need to have gum surgery if your gum disease is very severe, but this is rare. Your UltraSmile* dentist may refer you to our periodontologist for this. There are a number of types of surgery that can help to build your gum tissue back up after it has shrunk from gum disease. If you need more information, ask your UltraSmile* dentist.

Prevention of gum disease

You can prevent gum disease by controlling the amount of plaque and tartar that builds up on your teeth. Regular visits to your dentist or hygienist, brushing and flossing your teeth properly and stopping smoking will help to do this.

Dental floss or inter-dental brushes can remove plaque and small bits of food from between your teeth and under your gum line – areas that a manual toothbrush can’t reach. You may prefer to use an electric toothbrush. There is some evidence to suggest that certain types of electric toothbrush may be more efficient at removing plaque than manual toothbrushes. It’s important to use the correct technique, so ask your dentist or hygienist for advice.

Some antiseptic mouthwashes reduce the amount of plaque bacteria when combined with regular brushing. However, there isn’t enough evidence to say whether mouthwash can help to prevent gum disease. If you do use an antiseptic mouthwash, it’s important that you don’t use it for too long as it can stain your teeth. Always read the information on the mouthwash box or bottle and if you have any questions, ask your UltraSmile* dentist or hygienist for advice.

Even thorough brushing and flossing can’t remove every trace of plaque. Most people have irregularities in their teeth where plaque can build up out of reach and harden into tartar. This can only be removed by your UltraSmile* dentist or hygienist during scaling.