general dentistry
Gum disease: quiet, common, and very treatable early.
Gums that bleed when you brush aren't 'just how your gums are' — bleeding is the first, loudest signal of gum disease, and at that stage it's still reversible. Left alone, the same quiet process becomes the leading reason adults lose teeth, without ever hurting much along the way.
Treatment here runs from better home care and deep cleanings to laser therapy for stubborn pockets — matched to your measurements, not a package.
Measured, not guessed
Gum health is numbers: pocket depths around every tooth, tracked visit to visit. Healthy runs shallow; deepening pockets mean bacteria are working below the gumline where brushes can't reach. You'll hear your numbers and what they mean — it's your data.
Early-stage disease (gingivitis) typically reverses with a thorough cleaning and honest home care. Established disease calls for scaling and root planing — a deep cleaning below the gumline, done numb, usually by quadrant — and a maintenance rhythm afterward that protects the gains.
Where the laser earns its place
For pockets that persist after deep cleaning, laser therapy targets diseased tissue and bacteria in the pocket with less discomfort and faster healing than conventional gum surgery — no scalpel, no sutures, and most patients return to normal routines quickly.
It's a tool with a proper place, not a cure-all: your measurements decide whether it belongs in your plan, and the plan comes priced and explained before anything starts.
Questions we hear in the chair
- My gums bleed a little. Is that really a problem?
- Healthy gums don't bleed from normal brushing and flossing. A little blood is an early signal — and early is exactly when treatment is quick, cheap, and fully reversible. Mention it at your next cleaning, or book one.
- Does a deep cleaning hurt?
- It's done numb, usually one side or quadrant at a time. Expect tenderness for a day or two after — and noticeably healthier, less bloody gums within weeks.
- Is gum disease connected to overall health?
- Research keeps linking chronic gum inflammation with heart disease, diabetes control, and more. Treating your gums is one of the rare dental decisions your physician would also endorse.
- Can gum disease be cured?
- Early disease, effectively yes. Established disease is managed — knocked down and held down with treatment and maintenance cleanings. What it can't be is ignored profitably.
Clinical content reviewed by Dr. Marissa DeAngelis, Senior Dentist.
Serving Crozet for 50+ years. At least two full-time doctors in the building, Monday through Friday.