Many times, when periodontal disease is diagnosed, it can be effectively treated with non-surgical therapy.  Treatment usually consists of placing a small ultrasonic tip and/or curette in between the tooth and gum to remove plaque and tartar deposits below the gum line that cause this disease.  This procedure is known as scaling and root planning.  Four to six weeks later, when treatment is complete, periodontal pockets are often eliminated due to gum shrinkage.  With small pockets, the patient can himself/herself, properly maintain them with proper brushing and flossing. 

This non-surgical therapy is highly effective and even in the most severe cases of periodontal disease, non-surgical therapy often precedes surgery so that the overall tissue quality prior to surgery will limit the amount of surgery that may need to be done.  However, should non-surgical therapy not result in the desired result, we will assess you further for surgical intervention and/or referral to a periodontist.