A few different factors can cause the development of gum disease, including:
What Causes Gum Disease?

What Causes Gum Disease?
Gum disease, also known as periodontal disease, is caused by plaque accumulation, deepening gum pockets and inflamed gums.
Plaque, bacteria that sticks to your teeth and gums for a prolonged period, causes inflammation and detachment of your soft gum tissues and jaw bone from your teeth. Poor oral habits and irregular dental care causes an unhealthy build-up of plaque.
Deepening gum pockets creates more space between the tooth and gums, which allows more bacteria to thrive, worsening the condition of gums. If left untreated, gum disease can develop.

Factors that Increase the Risk of Gum Disease
Do I Need Deep Cleaning?
- If your gums bleed easily when brushing your teeth, flossing or eating;
- You have wobbly teeth;
- You have teeth drifting from their original positions;
- Your gums are receding;
- You experience gum soreness;
- You experience gum swelling and infection;
- You experience bad breath;
- You experience an unpleasant taste in your mouth.
Do I Need Deep Cleaning?

What Happens if Gum Disease is Left Untreated?
- Gum disease can make your teeth wobbly and cause them to eventually fall out (even if your teeth have been perfectly healthy with no tooth decay or tooth wear);
- Your teeth drift into problematic positions, thereby disrupting your appearance and bite;
- As your gum levels recede, your smile may start to look uneven;
- Receding gums causes your teeth to become extra sensitive;
- Bleeding gums when brushing their teeth, flossing, eating or even talking, which causes an unpleasant taste in your mouth;
- Gum disease can cause more bacteria and food particles to multiply underneath your gums, leading to bad breath, tooth decay, and mouth infections;
- The inflammation from diseased gums affects not just your oral health, but also your health in general, making you more at risk of medical conditions such as diabetes, or heart disease.
What Happens if Gum Disease is Left Untreated?

Types of Gum Disease
- Early Stage of Gum Disease: Gingivitis is the condition where your gums are inflamed. without yet any detachment of your soft gum tissues or jaw bone from your teeth. It is crucial to treat this in the early stage.
- Late Stage of Gum Disease: If gingivitis is left untreated, you run the risk of developing periodontitis. You will feel inflammation in your gums where your gum tissues and jaw bone start detaching from your teeth. This can lead to the loss of teeth, bone loss and a lower gum line.
Types of Gum Disease

What Does the Procedure Involve?
Stage 1: Gum Analysis
- Evaluating Your Condition
Stage 2: Deep Cleaning
- Deep Cleaning Procedure
Deep cleaning will take place over 1-2 visits of 30 minutes to 1 hour each. Affected areas will be deep cleaned with an ultrasonic scaler that vibrates and emits water to remove plaque and tartar that is trapped deep beneath your gums.
- Anaesthesia
You can opt to have local anaesthesia to numb the relevant areas, to make the procedure painless and more comfortable.
This is especially recommended for patients with severe periodontitis and those who experience significant tooth sensitivity during cleaning.
- Treatment for Gingivitis
- Treatment for Periodontitis
The treatment for periodontitis is more extensive, comprising further gum analysis, deep cleaning, and the adoption of improved oral health habits.
In some instances of periodontitis, it is additionally beneficial to undergo gum surgery (e.g. gum contouring, gum regeneration, bone grafting) to improve the appearance further and condition of your gums and bone after your initial treatment.
In some cases, a pocket reduction surgery" might be done to remove some gum tissue so that it sits closer to the tooth with stitches in the tissue to hold it in place.
Why Choose Nuffield Dental?
Nuffield Dental is a one-stop, multi-disciplinary dental care centre. At Nuffield, we put you first. We believe in providing personalised service for each patient.

Nuffield Dental is a one-stop, multi-disciplinary dental care centre. Here at Nuffield Dental, we pride ourselves of our personalised oral care for each and every one of our patients. We need to make sure you get all the help you need to make your dental procedures more comfortable, accessible and seamless.

Our dentists have specialised in gum treatment and oral surgery for more than 20 years. We have accredited dental specialists who are skilled in the area of dental implant surgery.
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