Is Gum Disease Reversible?

Can you reverse gum disease?

Gum disease is one of the most common oral health conditions in the UK, so it’s an important question to ask if you’ve started to notice the early warning signs of the disease.

Gum disease (sometimes known as periodontal disease) affects countless people each year, and covers a wide range of stages from gingivitis through to advanced periodontitis. Understanding the causes and phases of the condition is essential in determining its reversibility, which we aim to do in this in-depth blog.

Join us as we explain the nuances of the condition, highlighting practical steps for reversing the early stages of gum disease should you start to notice the symptoms.

If you’ve already been diagnosed with gum disease and you’re seeking legal advice from our team, we’ll be happy to help. You can start your claim here – if you’d like more information first, don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Answering the Big Question: Can You Reverse Gum Disease?

So, can you reverse gum disease? It’s a difficult question to answer, as it largely depends on the stage of the condition. Understanding where you stand is key to knowing whether your gum disease is reversible:

• Gingivitis is reversible with proper care: Gingivitis is the only stage of gum disease that is completely reversible by taking the proper healthcare steps. Regular brushing, flossing and dental cleanings can remove the bacteria and prevent the disease from progressing further.
• Periodontitis is manageable but cannot be reversed: Once gum disease progresses to periodontitis, the damage to the bone and connective tissues is usually irreversible. However, you can stop the progression of the disease with professional dental treatment and ongoing maintenance.

Following the recommended oral hygiene techniques and attending your regular dental check-ups is an important part of the prevention process. If bone loss has already occurred, it could be too late for gum disease reversal, although dentist treatments can be carried out to mitigate the damage.

What is Gum Disease?

Now that we’ve answered the main topic at hand, it’s time to tell you a little more about gum disease and its implications.

Gum disease is an infection of the tissues that surround and support your teeth. It’s primarily caused by poor oral hygiene, which allows plaque (a sticky film of bacteria) to build up on your teeth, which may then harden into something called tartar. Tartar can only be removed by professional dental cleaning, but you can prevent tartar from forming by brushing and flossing your teeth every day.

The four main stages of gum disease are:

• Gingivitis: Gingivitis is the initial phase of gum disease, characterised by bleeding gums when you brush or floss your teeth.
• Mild periodontitis: With mild periodontitis, the bacteria start seeping into the bone underneath your gums. You may also develop receding gums at this stage.
• Moderate periodontitis: With moderate periodontitis, the bacteria will start to erode the ligaments, bones and soft tissues that hold your teeth in place. You may start to feel severe pain and develop more severe dental infections at this stage.
• Advanced periodontitis: Advanced periodontitis is the final stage of gum disease. As the condition gets worse, bone loss will increase, which may lead to wobbly teeth and eventual tooth loss.

If you suspect you have gum disease of any stage, we highly advise speaking to your dentist for an assessment.

Recognising the Early Signs of Gum Disease

Spotting the early stages of gum disease is crucial to preserving your oral health, so you can seek out adequate treatment to prevent the disease from developing further. Reversing early-stage gum disease is possible in some cases, but the longer you leave it, the less likely it is that you’ll be able to prevent later-stage periodontal disease.

Every situation is different, but the early signs of gum disease usually include these symptoms:

• Bleeding gums (especially after brushing or flossing)

• Sore gums

• Swollen and tender gums with a red or purple colour

• A build-up of dental plaque and tartar on your teeth

The good news is that it is possible to reverse gingivitis. Advanced gum disease is not reversible, but it can be stabilised with adequate treatment. This means that it is crucial that you speak to your dentist as soon as you notice any of the symptoms displayed above.

As the condition worsens, you might start to notice a series of other symptoms:

• An unpleasant taste in the mouth that doesn’t go away

• Abscesses and an increase in dental infections

• Bad breath (halitosis)

• Loose teeth

• Bone loss or tooth loss

• Severe pain and soreness – particularly when eating or speaking

• Receding gums

If you encounter any of these symptoms, it’s important to visit your dentist for immediate treatment. If your dentist fails to notice the signs of gingivitis and the disease progresses further, you may be able to hire a dental malpractice lawyer and open a dental negligence claim. Alternatively, you may also want to make a dental complaint directly to your dental practice, although you do not need to have made a complaint to file a claim against your dentist.

If you’d like to make a claim against your dentist, please complete our enquiry form and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.

What Are My Treatment Options for Gum Disease?

If you’ve been diagnosed with gum disease or you suspect you might have the condition, there are several steps you can take to mitigate the damage. Mild gum disease is easier to treat than the advanced stages of the infection, but in all cases, we’d first advise speaking to your dentist to get a proper assessment.

If you have gingivitis or early-stage gum disease, following the proper oral hygiene habits (e.g. regular brushing, flossing and professional dental cleanings) is recommended to treat the condition and prevent it from developing further.

With gingivitis, it might actually be possible to eliminate the inflammation and restore you to full gum health, reversing the condition. However, if your gum disease is left untreated, gingivitis can progress to a more advanced stage of the condition that can cause irreversible damage to the bone and tissues supporting the teeth.

With the advanced stages of gum disease, its progression can be managed and controlled with comprehensive dental care, even if it cannot be reversed. There are several treatment options your dentist can undertake to manage the condition for you:

• Professional dental cleaning: Professional cleaning by a dentist or dental hygienist can help to remove a buildup of plaque and tartar, enabling your gums to heal from gingivitis.

• Scaling and root planing: Scaling and root planing is a common treatment option for mild to moderate periodontitis. It’s essentially a deep cleaning procedure that can remove bacteria from below the gum line and smooth your tooth roots.

• Surgical treatments: In advanced gum disease cases, you may require surgical interventions (such as flap surgery, bone grafts or tissue regeneration) to repair the existing damage and restore your oral health.

• Ongoing maintenance: Even if you don’t require any of these procedures at the moment, undergoing regular dental checkups and cleanings is an essential part of managing your gum disease.

Your dentist should be able to advise you of the potential treatments available to you, which may help stabilise the disease and prevent further complications. We also recommend making changes to your lifestyle, diet and oral health routine if needed – your dentist should also be able to advise you further about this.

Effective Practices and Home Remedies for Healthy Gums

If you’re concerned about gum disease in the future, or if you’ve noticed some of the symptoms of the condition, there are several steps you can take to mitigate the ailment, particularly during the early stages.

As previously stated, it’s important to practice proper oral hygiene techniques, such as brushing and flossing your teeth twice a day. Your dentist can also carry out professional teeth cleaning procedures to remove bacteria and dental plaque from your mouth.

Other effective home remedies for preventing and treating gum disease at home include:

• Purchase fluoride toothpaste: Fluoride is a naturally occurring mineral found in water, which can help to prevent tooth decay. In some areas, it’s automatically added to drinking water, but you can also purchase fluoride toothpaste. The NHS recommends using a toothpaste that contains between 1,350 and 1,500 ppm of fluoride.
• Use mouthwash: Antibacterial mouthwash can help to reduce the bacteria in your mouth. However, you should wait 30 minutes after brushing your teeth, as mouthwash can clean away the concentrated fluoride left on your teeth by the toothpaste.
• Make lifestyle changes: Another important practice to consider is making lifestyle changes, such as maintaining a balanced diet and quitting smoking. Staying hydrated will also maintain saliva production, which can wash away food particles and bacteria.
• Attend your regular dental check-ups: Visiting your dentist regularly for check-ups will enable them to monitor your gum health and diagnose any oral health issues.
• Use interdental brushes and water flossing tools: Traditional flossing methods are not always enough to reach the gum pockets, which can sometimes be created by gum disease. Interdental brushes and water-flossing tools can be effective for hard-to-reach areas.

Even if you haven’t noticed any of the symptoms from the previous section, it’s still important that you follow these tips, as this should help prevent other oral health issues from developing. If in doubt about which cleaning products to use, your dentist should be able to advise you accordingly.

Find out more about the 15 best foods for gum health in our insightful blog.

When to Seek Legal Advice for Dental Negligence

Gum disease is often preventable when taking the proper oral care, but there are some instances in which dental negligence can contribute to the condition, either developing or worsening. There are many different types of dental negligence, but it usually occurs when a dental professional fails to provide the standard of care expected, often leading to harm or a dental injury. As well as physical injuries, dental negligence can also include emotional distress, psychological harm and financial losses.

If you’ve experienced harm and you think it may be due to dental negligence, it’s important to seek out legal advice as soon as possible. Here are some of the main signs that you may have a claim:

• Your dentist failed to diagnose or treat gum disease promptly.

• You received improper or substandard treatment.

• Your dentist diagnosed the wrong condition or provided the wrong treatment for your condition.

• Your dentist did not provide the proper aftercare advice.

• You suffered unnecessary pain, tooth loss, or other complications due to negligence.

• Your dentist did not gain informed patient consent from you before your procedure.

• You incurred additional costs for corrective treatments.

At the Dental Law Partnership, our expert dental negligence claims team specialises in helping our clients recover compensation for physical, emotional, and financial impacts of dental negligence. If your claim is accepted by our team, we’ll work with you to build a strong case and ensure your rights are protected throughout the entire claims process.

We also work on a purely conditional basis with a no-win, no-fee guarantee, which ensures you’ll only pay our fee if your case is successful.

Get in Touch with the Dental Negligence Experts

We hope that we’ve answered the question ‘Can you reverse gum disease?’ sufficiently, enabling you to make the right decision for your oral health needs. The early stages of the condition can be reversible if treated correctly, so it’s important to speak to your dentist if you start to notice the early warning signs of gum disease.

If you’ve already had treatment carried out and you think you may have suffered from dental negligence, we may be able to help you. Our experienced clinical team is made up of highly experienced dental solicitors, with many of our employees also having experience within the dental profession.

If you believe that dental negligence has contributed to your gum disease, you may be entitled to compensation. Please contact our dedicated claims team on 0800 152 2039 to discuss your case or request a callback here.