Gum Care and Gum Treatment

A healthy lifestyle, regular brushing and flossing and visits to the dentist for cleaning are the best way to keep your gums healthy and avoid gum disease.

Dr. Wehman checks your gums for gum disease (periodontal disease) and usually treats any found non-surgically with deep cleaning (called “scaling and root planning”), using a pain-free soft-tissue laser treatment.

Gentle, effective gum care with the Picasso Lite Diode Laser

Removing tarter and pockets of bacteria from your gums and the teeth below the gum line is easy when we use the soft-tissue laser from Picasso. This machine allows our hygienist to handle gum disease quickly, and without the need for injections. When used for cleaning, the laser breaks up the tartar and it is flushed out allowing the gums to heal more effectively.

The diode laser is not much larger than a strand of hair, making the procedure quite comfortable.

The hygienist aims the laser between the gum tissue and teeth, where it painlessly removes and kills the bacteria that cause gum disease. The small laser is able to penetrate deeply into pockets between the gums and teeth, ensuring that bacteria has no place to hide.

       Before Laser Treatment                                    After Laser Treatment     

before laser         after

Arestin therapy prevents gum disease from recurring

Gum disease causes pockets from the receding bone and gums which fill with bacteria. Dr. Wehman employs special Arestin® therapy to kill the bacteria which are left behind after deep cleaning.

Factors that contribute to gum disease include smoking or chewing tobacco, certain medications, defective fillings, crooked teeth and system diseases.

Warning signs of gum disease are:

  • Gums that bleed during toothbrushing
  • 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
  • Any change in the fit of partial dentures

There are two main stages of gum, or periodontal disease, gingivitis, which is the milder and easily reversible by regular flossing and routine professional cleaning, and periodontitis, which is a more serious destructive form of gum disease indicated by gums and supporting bone receding away from the teeth, although not always visibly.

Call us for an appointment or more information at 803-753-8172 or click here to request an appointment online.