Gum Disease Treatment

Bleeding when you brush isn't something to wait out. Gum disease is an infection in the tissue and bone that hold your teeth in place, and catching it early is the difference between a deep cleaning now and losing teeth later. Dr. K and the team at Table Mesa Dental treat gum disease at every stage, from puffy, tender gums to advanced cases that need gum grafting, right here in south Boulder.

If your gums bleed, ache, or seem to be pulling away from your teeth, we can tell you exactly where you stand. Call us at (303) 590-3992 for a periodontal exam, and ask about comfort options like nitrous oxide and sedation dentistry.

Quick Takeaways

• Bleeding gums are a symptom, not a habit to live with. Healthy gums don't bleed when you brush or floss. If yours do, something is going on under the gumline.
• Early gum disease is reversible. Gingivitis usually clears up with a thorough cleaning and better home care. Once bone is lost, gum disease treatment can stop the damage, but it can't rebuild what's gone.
• Ask about your pocket depths. We measure the space between gum and tooth in millimeters. Knowing your numbers and your trouble spots is how you'll know whether treatment is working.
• Sedation is available if you want it. We offer nitrous oxide, oral sedation, and IV sedation, and Dr. K has advanced training in IV sedation.
• Your first step is a periodontal exam with X-rays. It gives us the stage, the plan, and the cost before anything begins. Schedule a visit when you're ready.

How Gum Disease Treatment Works

1. A full periodontal exam

We measure the pockets around every tooth, check for recession and bleeding, and look for bone loss on digital X-rays. In more advanced cases, cone beam 3D imaging gives us a detailed view of the bone itself. You'll see what we see, in plain language, before anyone talks about treatment.

2. Scaling and root planing

This is the core of non-surgical gum treatment, and it goes deeper than a routine cleaning. We numb the area, clear the hardened bacteria off the tooth surfaces below the gumline, and smooth the root so the gum tissue can reattach. It usually takes two visits, one side of the mouth at a time, so you're never numb everywhere at once. If dental work makes you tense, sedation options are available here too.

3. The healing check

About four to six weeks later, we re-measure the same spots. Gums that were swollen and bleeding tend to firm up and tighten back around the teeth. For most people, the numbers improve enough here that the plan shifts to maintenance.

4. Surgical care when it's needed

Deep pockets that don't respond to cleaning may need more. Dr. K has advanced training in oral surgery and grafting, so gum grafting to cover exposed roots and bone grafting to rebuild lost support happen here rather than across town.

5. Periodontal maintenance

After treatment, cleanings usually move to every three to four months instead of every six. Bacteria repopulate treated pockets faster than they do in healthy gums, and that shorter interval keeps the disease from creeping back. Those visits fold into your regular dental care, so it's one team watching your numbers over time.

What Treatment Actually Does for You

• The bleeding and soreness stop. Brushing and flossing quit feeling like something to brace for.
• Bone loss slows or stops. Bone holds teeth steady, so halting that loss is the whole point of treatment.
• More years out of the teeth you already have. Treating gums is far less involved than replacing teeth.
• Stubborn bad breath clears. The odor comes from bacteria deep in the pockets, where a rinse can't reach.
• Better-looking gums. Tissue that sits tight and pink instead of red and puffy.
• A stable base for any other work. Same-day crowns, dental implants, and Clear Aligners all need healthy gums underneath to last.

Who Gum Treatment Is Right For

This treatment makes sense for you if any of these sound familiar:

• Gums that bleed when you brush
• Tenderness or swelling
• Gums receding away from your teeth
• Bad breath that keeps returning
• Teeth that feel slightly loose or seem to have shifted
• A gap since your last cleaning that quietly stretched into years

Smoking, diabetes, pregnancy, and a family history of gum problems all raise your risk, so tell us about those at your exam. If recession has already exposed root surfaces, gum grafting may come into the conversation too.

Some situations call for a different starting point. If gum disease has destroyed too much bone around a tooth, deep cleaning won't save it, and we'll talk plainly about removing it and what replacement would look like, whether that's a dental implant or another option. Mild inflammation may not need scaling and root planing at all; a regular cleaning plus a few changes at home can be enough.

Timeline and What to Expect

• Visit one, about an hour: the exam, X-rays, and pocket measurements around each tooth.
• Visits two and three, 60 to 90 minutes each: scaling and root planing, one side of the mouth per visit. Ask about sedation options if that feels like a lot.
• The first few days after: mild tenderness and cold sensitivity, with teeth looking slightly longer as swelling goes down. Over-the-counter pain relief is usually enough.
• Four to six weeks after: a 30-minute re-evaluation comparing your new measurements to the old ones.
• Ongoing: maintenance cleanings every three to four months.

Getting Ready and Healing Well

Eat something before your appointment, since you'll be numb for a while afterward, and bring a list of your medications and health conditions. Blood thinners, diabetes, and heart conditions all change how we approach treatment. If dental anxiety is part of your history, say so when you schedule your visit so nitrous oxide or sedation is arranged in advance instead of improvised in the chair.

Afterward, stick with soft foods for a day or two and skip anything crunchy or spicy. Keep brushing gently, treated areas included, because clean gums heal faster. Warm salt water rinses help, and use any prescription gel we send home exactly as directed. If you smoke, cutting back changes your odds: gum tissue in smokers heals slower and relapses more often, which often means repeating gum disease treatment later. And if bleeding or swelling gets worse after a few days instead of better, tell us so we can take a look.

Cost and Payment

What gum treatment costs depends on how far the disease has progressed, how many areas need work, whether grafting is involved, and whether you'd like sedation. After your exam, you'll get a written treatment plan with the cost laid out before you commit.

Dental insurance often covers part of gum treatment, though coverage varies by plan. We accept many plans and offer an in-house membership plan for patients without insurance. Our team will check your benefits, explain what your plan pays, and talk through options, including phasing treatment across visits if that fits your budget better. Reach out with questions any time.

Why Patients Choose Table Mesa Dental for Gum Care

Dr. Ryan Koenig, DMD, known to his patients as Dr. K, earned his dental degree from Nova Southeastern University College of Dental Medicine and holds advanced training in oral surgery, implants, IV sedation, and full-mouth reconstruction. More than two decades of practice means he has seen gum disease at every stage, from gums that bleed a little to teeth that have already started to shift, and he knows what each stage responds to.

Nobody here will lecture you about the years you skipped. We put your X-rays and 3D images up where you can see them, explain what we're looking at in plain language, and keep the environment calm so appointments ask less of you. Patients come to us from Boulder and across Boulder County for that combination: modern care, compassionate people. Reach out to schedule a gum health evaluation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does a deep cleaning hurt?

We numb the area first, so the appointment is comfortable for most people. Afterward, expect tenderness and some cold sensitivity for a few days. If you're anxious, nitrous oxide or sedation makes it much easier.

Can gum disease be reversed?

Gingivitis, the earliest stage, is reversible with a professional cleaning and consistent home care. Once it becomes periodontitis and bone is lost, that bone doesn't grow back on its own. We can stop the progression, and sometimes rebuild bone with grafting, but preventing further loss becomes the goal.

Why can't I just brush and floss harder?

Once bacteria harden into tartar below the gumline, no toothbrush, floss, or rinse reaches it. It has to come off with instruments. Good home care keeps gums healthy afterward but can't undo what's already there. Brushing harder just wears down enamel and irritates inflamed tissue.

What happens if I don't treat it?

Gum disease is usually painless until it's advanced, which is why it gets ignored. Left alone, pockets deepen, more bone disappears, teeth loosen and shift, and eventually come out. Treating it now is the least invasive and least expensive version of this problem you'll ever have.

Do I need to see a periodontist instead?

Most gum disease is treated right here, including gum grafting and surgical cases, thanks to Dr. Koenig's surgical training. If a case is unusually complex, we'll say so and help you get to a specialist.

How often will I need cleanings after treatment?

Typically every three to four months rather than every six. We re-measure your pockets at those checkup and cleaning visits, so you'll see whether the numbers are holding. If they stay stable, the interval can stretch back out; if a few spots slip, we catch them early.

Deep Cleaning Compared With a Regular Cleaning

Which cleaning you need comes down to your pocket depths, the millimeter measurements we take around each tooth. If those numbers are normal, a regular cleaning is the right call, and we'll tell you that rather than upgrading you to something you don't need. If they're deeper than they should be, polishing above the gumline leaves the real problem in place, and scaling and root planing becomes the gum disease treatment that actually addresses it.

Waiting and watching fits a narrow set of circumstances: very mild inflammation, no sign of bone loss, and a home routine you're genuinely keeping up with. In that case we re-measure at your next visit to confirm the numbers are holding steady. Watching stops making sense once bone loss shows up on an X-ray, because that loss doesn't reverse on its own. If you're unsure where you stand, schedule a visit and we'll show you the numbers.

Let's Take a Look at Your Gums

If you've been seeing blood in the sink, or someone mentioned gum disease to you a while back, this is a good week to start. The exam runs about an hour: X-rays, measurements around each tooth, and a written plan with costs before you decide anything. Ask about sedation when you book if nerves are part of the picture.

Call (303) 590-3992 or request an appointment. We're at 603 South Broadway in Boulder, open Monday through Thursday 8 to 4 and Friday 8 to 2.