Gum Disease · San Ramon
The condition that takes more teeth than decay does
It is painless until it is advanced, which is exactly what makes it dangerous. So we measure it rather than eyeball it.
Who this is for
- Gums that bleed when you brush or floss
- Persistent bad breath that brushing does not fix
- Gums that look like they are receding, or teeth that feel longer
- A previous dentist mentioned pockets or bone loss
Why we measure instead of looking
Gum disease is diagnosed with a probe and a number, not by appearance. We measure the depth of the crevice around every tooth in six places and write all of it down. Healthy is one to three millimeters. Four and above means the attachment is breaking down and bacteria are living somewhere your toothbrush cannot reach.
The value of charting is comparison. A five-millimeter pocket that has been five for four years is stable and needs monitoring. A four that was a two last year is active and needs treating now. Without last year's numbers, those look identical.
This is also why staying with one practice matters more for gums than for anything else in your mouth.
Gingivitis and periodontitis are not the same thing
Gingivitis is inflammation of the gum only. It bleeds, it looks puffy, and it is fully reversible — usually within a fortnight of proper cleaning at the gumline. No bone has been lost.
Periodontitis means the inflammation has reached the bone that holds the tooth, and bone that has gone does not come back. Treatment aims to halt it and keep what remains, which is achievable in the large majority of cases.
We will tell you plainly which you have. People are often relieved to learn it is the reversible one, and people who have the other one deserve to know.
What we do here, and what we refer
Non-surgical treatment is done here: deep cleaning below the gumline, diode laser disinfection of the pockets, and a maintenance schedule tailored to how your numbers actually behave.
The laser matters more than it sounds. It reaches bacteria in the pocket that instruments alone miss, and most patients find there is noticeably less bleeding during treatment and less soreness afterwards.
Advanced cases that need surgical correction — grafting, regenerative work — go to a periodontist. We refer those rather than attempt them, and we keep managing your maintenance either way.
What to expect
Here’s how the visit actually goes.
No surprises. That’s the whole idea.
01
Charting
Six measurements per tooth, recorded and compared with last time. It takes a few minutes and it is the whole basis of the diagnosis.
02
Explaining
You see your own numbers, not a leaflet. We show you which teeth are stable and which are moving.
03
Treatment
Deep cleaning quadrant by quadrant, numbed properly, with the laser used alongside. Usually two visits rather than one marathon.
04
Re-measuring
We chart again six to eight weeks later. That is how we know whether it worked, rather than assuming.
05
Maintenance
Usually every three or four months rather than six, because the interval is what keeps it stable.
Questions
Answered before you ask.
Is bleeding when I brush actually a problem?
Yes. Common, but not normal — bleeding is inflammation. Healthy gums do not bleed when brushed. If it settles within two weeks of cleaning properly at the gumline, it was gingivitis. If it does not, it needs looking at.
Will I lose teeth?
Most people with periodontitis do not, provided it is caught and then maintained. What decides the outcome is far less the starting severity than whether you keep the maintenance appointments.
Why every three months instead of six?
Because the bacteria repopulate a treated pocket in roughly that time. Six-month intervals are built around healthy gums; periodontal maintenance is a different schedule for a different reason.
Is gum disease linked to other health problems?
There is reasonable evidence linking gum inflammation to cardiovascular and metabolic health. We will not overstate it — the research is still developing and causation is not settled — but it is another reason not to dismiss bleeding gums.
In their words
Thirty years of families who stayed.
Every quote below is a patient's own, unedited, from our reviews.
“We LOVE LOVE LOVE Avalon Dental! Dr. B is the best dentist we’ve ever gone to”
Cassondra H. “Dr B. always does a great job and you don’t feel the work getting done”
Marie T. “The staff always make my experiences with them the best and most comfortable”
Rebecca C.