Am I a Good Candidate for Scaling and Root Planing?

When a patient has bleeding, red, or tender gums, it is usually caused by plaque accumulation along the gumline. Plaque contains harmful bacteria that can attack the healthy tissue around your teeth and gums. When this builds up, your gums become inflamed, leading to bleeding during the first stage of periodontal disease, gingivitis. When you have gum disease in Bellevue, WA, it is reversible with treatment from our periodontal specialists at one of our seven Premier Periodontics locations. Our periodontal specialists in Bellevue Everett, Kirkland, Mercer Island, Redmond, or Olympia, WA can examine your gums and offer deep cleaning to remove hardened plaque from teeth to restore your oral health.

What causes bleeding gums?

Vitamin deficiencies, such as Vitamin C, can cause bleeding gums. Increasing your intake of oranges, sweet potatoes, and carrots helps fight off this gum infection best. It’s important that you do not ignore bleeding gums. When gum disease is left untreated, it can advance to more serious stages of periodontal disease that require more extensive treatment. Having regular dental exams and teeth cleanings at Premier Periodontics allows our periodontal specialists to detect gum disease early on. During these visits, we can teach you how to stop your gums from bleeding with a Perio scaling and root planing procedure.

Who is most at risk for developing periodontal disease?

Some people are more at risk for developing gum disease. Some of the most common risk factors of gum disease include:

Age: The older you are, the more likely you are to develop gum disease.
Genetics: Some patients can be predisposed to developing gum disease.
Poor oral hygiene: When you don’t brush and floss often or properly, you’re more likely to develop plaque buildup, leading to gum disease.
Smoking: Smokers have twice the risk of nonsmokers for gum disease development.

Symptoms of gingivitis

Bleeding gums may be the only symptom that our patients experience when they have gingivitis. Some other gingivitis signs include:

Red, swollen, or tender gums
Persistent bad breath
Loose or separating teeth
Changes with the bite

Gingivitis can be treated easily when it’s caught early. Our periodontal specialists at Premier Periodontics can deep clean your teeth to make sure that gum disease doesn’t progress further. Once gum erosion occurs, pockets will form between the teeth and gums where harmful bacteria is trapped. When left untreated, this bacteria can attack the bone that supports the teeth, leading to tooth and bone loss.

Who is the best candidate for scaling and root planing?

The best candidate for scaling and root planing in Bellevue, WA is someone with a high risk of developing gum disease. Those with large amounts of plaque and tartar on their teeth are recommended for this treatment. During a dental exam, our team can determine whether scaling and root planing suit a patient’s oral health situation. Our periodontal specialists recommend this for patients with gum pockets deeper than 3 millimeters.

What is scaling and root planing?

At Premier Periodontics, we conduct deep periodontal cleanings known as scaling and root planing to clean our patient’s gums efficiently. Treating gum disease requires multiple visits to one of our locations in Bellevue, Everett, Kirkland, Mercer Island, Olympia, or Redmond, WA. During your scaling and root planing treatment, we use a scaler to thoroughly remove plaque buildup. Next, your teeth are smoothed, so that no bacteria can hide and cause another gum infection.

Learn about scaling and root planing effectiveness

Our periodontal specialists at Premier Periodontics offer several different gum disease treatments for those suffering from bleeding gums or other gingivitis symptoms. Our goal is to treat your gum disease early before it leads to long-term damage to your smile and oral health. To learn about our gum disease treatment, schedule an appointment at one of our seven locations, including Bellevue, Everett, Kirkland, Mercer Island, Olympia, or Redmond, WA, today.