It’s common to focus more on our teeth than our gums because teeth are more visible. But keeping our gums healthy and clean is essential to our overall health. Oral bacteria ultimately makes its way into the bloodstream; when bad bacteria reaches the bloodstream, it can lead to a heart attack or stroke, and even diabetes. We practice gum therapy to eliminate bad oral bacteria and treat periodontal disease.

We use scaling and root planing techniques to remove bacteria, plaque and tartar that is trapped under a patient’s gum causes infection that leads to periodontal disease. Depending on the extent of the disease, this can take one or several appointments. We will numb the area we are cleaning to keep you comfortable the whole time. Dr. Patel typically recommends that patients with a history of periodontal disease schedule a gum maintenance every 3-4 months to help eliminate gum disease bacteria.