How Often Is Scaling and Root Planing Needed?

When you have bleeding, red, or tender gums, it is most often caused by plaque accumulation at the gumline. Plaque contains harmful bacteria that attack healthy tissue around the teeth and gums. When this builds up, the gums become irritated and inflamed. This can cause them to bleed during the first stage of periodontal disease, gingivitis. When you have gingivitis in Bellevue, WA, it is reversible with treatment from our periodontal specialists at one of our seven locations throughout Washington at Premier Periodontics. Our team can examine your gums and offer a deep cleaning with plaque removal to restore your oral health in Bellevue, Everett, Mercer Island, Olympia, and Redmond, WA.

Common causes of bleeding gums

Several things can lead to red, tender, or bleeding gums. The most common cause is gingivitis, the first stage of gum disease, which is reversible. Vitamin deficiencies, such as Vitamin C, can also cause bleeding gums. Increase your intake of oranges, sweet potatoes, and carrots to help fight off this gum infection. It’s important that you never ignore bleeding gums. When gum disease is left untreated, it can advance to more serious stages of periodontal disease that require more extensive treatment and can lead to tooth loss. Having regular appointments at Premier Periodontics allows our periodontal specialists to detect gum disease early on and to teach you how to stop your gums from bleeding.

Who is at risk for developing gum disease?

Some of our patients can be more at risk of developing gum disease in Bellevue, WA. Some common risk factors of gum disease include:

Genetics: Some people are predisposed to developing periodontal disease.
Age: As you age, your chance of developing gum disease increases dramatically.
Stress: Stress is directly connected to periodontal disease as it makes it more difficult for your body to fight off any type of infection.
Smoking: Smokers have more than twice the risk of gum disease development.
Poor oral hygiene: When you don’t brush and floss regularly, you’re more likely to develop plaque buildup, which leads to gum disease.

Symptoms of gingivitis

For some of our patients, bleeding gums may be the only symptom they experience when they develop gingivitis. Some other common symptoms include:

Red, swollen, or tender gums
Persistent bad breath
Loose or separating teeth
Bite changes

Gingivitis can be treated easily when we catch it early on. Our periodontal specialists at Premier Periodontics deep clean the teeth to ensure that gum disease doesn’t progress. Once gum erosion occurs, pockets form between the teeth and gums where this harmful bacteria is trapped. When left untreated, it can attack the bone that supports the teeth, which leads to both tooth and bone loss.

Scaling and root planing

At Premier Periodontics, we conduct deep periodontal cleanings called scaling and root planing to clean our patients’ gums. Treating gum disease may require many visits. During your scaling and root planing visit, we use a scaler to remove plaque buildup. Next, your teeth are smoothed so that none of the bacteria can hide and cause another infection. This gum disease treatment is recommended for patients with gum pockets deeper than three millimeters.

Learn how to resolve bleeding gums quickly

Our periodontal specialists at Premier Periodontics offer different gum disease treatments for patients with bleeding gums and other signs of gingivitis. Our goal is to treat your gum disease early before it causes long-term damage to your smile. To learn about our gum disease treatment options, schedule an appointment at one of our seven locations in the state of Washington: Bellevue, Everett, Kirkland, Mercer Island, Olympia, or Redmond with our periodontal specialists today.