Periodontics & Gum Care in Pine Beach, NJ

Gingivitis is inflammation of the gum tissue caused by plaque sitting along the gum line. The gums bleed and look puffy, but the bone holding the teeth in place has not yet been affected. This stage is genuinely reversible. For most patients a thorough professional cleaning, combined with a realistic improvement to brushing and flossing at home, returns the gums to health within a few weeks.

If gingivitis is left alone, the inflammation moves below the gum line. Pockets form between the tooth and gum, bacteria collect where a toothbrush cannot reach, and the bone supporting the tooth begins to be lost. Bone loss at this stage cannot be reversed, but it can be stopped. Treatment moves from a routine cleaning to a deeper, more targeted procedure.

In advanced disease the pockets are deep, significant bone support has been lost, and teeth may loosen or shift. Treatment is more involved and some teeth may not be savable. This is the stage we work hardest to help patients avoid, and it is why the bleeding-gums signal earlier on matters so much.

Every gum treatment starts with measuring. We chart the depth of the pocket around each tooth and take X-rays to see the bone level. That gives us a baseline number to treat against, and something concrete to re-measure later so you can see whether it is working.

For gingivitis, a standard professional dental cleaning removes the plaque and hardened tartar the toothbrush has missed, and the gums are given the chance to recover. We will also go through technique with you, because what happens at home between visits is what determines the result.

Where pockets have formed, we clean below the gum line and smooth the root surfaces so the gum tissue can reattach to the tooth. It is usually done with the area numbed, often over two visits treating one side of the mouth at a time. Most patients describe it as more comfortable than they expected. This is the workhorse treatment for early and moderate periodontitis.

Once the disease is under control it needs keeping there. Patients with a history of periodontitis usually move to a cleaning every three to four months rather than every six, because the pockets recolonise faster. Skipping this is the most common reason gum disease returns.

Where a tooth has already been lost to gum disease, options such as dental implants or a bridge can restore the gap — but only once the surrounding gum and bone are healthy and stable. Treating the disease always comes first.