Gum Disease (Periodontal Disease)

It depends on the stage. Gingivitis, the earliest form of gum disease, is fully reversible: with a professional cleaning and a consistent brushing and flossing routine at home, inflamed gums can return to complete health, often within a few weeks. At this point nothing has been lost that cannot be rebuilt, which is the best possible time to act.

Once gum disease advances to periodontitis, the bone and tissue that anchor your teeth begin to break down, and that lost bone does not grow back on its own. The disease at that stage can still be controlled and stabilized so it stops progressing, but it cannot be erased the way gingivitis can. This is exactly why catching periodontal disease early is such a priority, and why we never wait for pain that may not arrive until the damage is advanced.

The bacteria associated with gum disease can be passed from one person to another through saliva, which can happen by sharing utensils or drinking glasses, or through kissing. In that narrow sense, the bacteria behind periodontal disease are transmissible, and it is not unusual for the condition to show up in more than one member of a household.

Carrying those bacteria, though, is not the same as developing the disease. Whether gum disease actually takes hold depends on your immune response, how consistent your oral hygiene is, and personal risk factors such as smoking, diabetes, and genetics. The most reliable protection for everyone under one roof is the same: good daily home care and regular dental visits, so any early signs are caught and treated before they spread or worsen.

A deep cleaning, known clinically as scaling and root planing, reaches below the gum line where ordinary brushing and a routine cleaning cannot. Using fine instruments, we lift away the hardened plaque and tartar that have collected on the tooth roots, then smooth those root surfaces so bacteria have fewer places to take hold and the gums can reattach more snugly to the teeth.

We perform it under local anesthesia for your comfort, and depending on how widespread the gum disease is, treatment may be split into more than one visit so each area gets full attention. It is the standard first line of treatment for periodontal disease, and for many patients it halts the condition without any need for surgery. You can read the full process on our Scaling & Root Planing page.

If you have been diagnosed with gum disease, the standard twice-a-year schedule usually is not frequent enough. Most patients move to periodontal maintenance appointments every 3–4 months, because the deeper pockets left behind by periodontal disease give bacteria a head start between visits and need more regular professional attention.

These more frequent cleanings do two jobs at once: they clear out the bacteria before they can restart the cycle of inflammation and bone loss, and they let us measure your pockets and watch for any early sign that the disease is becoming active again. The exact interval is set to your situation, since gums that have been through periodontal disease rarely follow a one-size-fits-all calendar.

Yes, and this is one of the most important things to understand about periodontal disease. Your mouth is not sealed off from the rest of your body, and the same bacteria and inflammation that damage your gums can enter the bloodstream. Research has linked gum disease to a number of broader health concerns:

• Heart disease and stroke
• Complications in managing diabetes
• Respiratory problems
• Adverse pregnancy outcomes

None of this means gum disease directly causes these conditions, but the association is well documented enough that treating your gums is genuinely an investment in your whole-body health, not only your smile. Keeping periodontal disease under control is one more way to protect the systems that depend on a healthy, low-inflammation body.

Smoking is one of the strongest risk factors there is, both for developing gum disease in the first place and for making an existing case worse. Tobacco restricts blood flow to the gums, which can actually hide early warning signs like bleeding, so the disease often advances further before it is noticed. It also dampens the immune response that would normally help your gums fight off infection.

On top of that, smoking slows healing after any periodontal treatment, which means smokers tend to respond less predictably to care and may need closer follow-up. The encouraging news is that the gums begin to benefit soon after you stop. Few single changes do more for your gum health, and your overall health, than quitting tobacco.

A small amount of bleeding when you first start flossing, or return to it after a break, can be normal as the gums adjust over the first week or two. Healthy gums that are flossed regularly should not bleed, so the key question is whether the bleeding settles down quickly or keeps happening.

Regular bleeding while you brush or floss is one of the most common early signs of gingivitis, the first stage of gum disease, and it is not something to brush aside. It tells us inflammation is present, even if there is no pain. If the bleeding continues for more than a couple of weeks of consistent home care, schedule an evaluation so we can check your gum health and step in before the problem progresses.

There is no single price, because the cost of gum disease treatment depends on how advanced the condition is and what it takes to bring it under control. A few factors shape the total:

• The severity and stage of the periodontal disease
• How many areas of the mouth are affected
• Whether treatment is non-surgical, such as a deep cleaning, or surgical
• The ongoing maintenance schedule that follows

As a rule, a non-surgical deep cleaning costs considerably less than surgical treatment, which is one more reason to address gum disease early. Before any work begins, we lay out a detailed treatment plan with costs in writing, and we accept most insurance plans. Across our Orland Park, Frankfort, and Oak Lawn offices we also offer financing options so treatment stays within reach.

Yes, although it may call for a little extra diligence on your part. A family history can raise your baseline susceptibility to gum disease, but genetics set the odds rather than the outcome. They are only one piece of the picture, and the day-to-day habits that protect your gums are largely within your control.

Steady brushing and flossing, keeping your professional cleanings, steering clear of tobacco, and managing conditions like diabetes can all lower your risk substantially, family history and all. If periodontal disease runs in your family, the smartest move is to tell us, so we can watch a little more closely and catch any early changes before they have a chance to take hold.