Gum disease treatment in Chiang Mai
Gum disease starts as bleeding, swollen gums, and early treatment helps protect the bone around your teeth and keep your teeth strong. At Kitcha Dental Clinic, dentists with postgraduate training in periodontics measure your gums, explain what they find and plan treatment with you.
- Open every day, 09:00–20:00
- Opposite Chiang Mai Gate
- Coordinators in English and Thai
Is this you?
- Your gums bleed when you brush or floss.
- Your gums are red, swollen or tender.
- Your gums have pulled back and your teeth look longer.
- You have bad breath that does not go away, or teeth that feel loose.
Early gum disease often causes no pain at all. A gum check measures the pockets around each tooth so problems can be found and treated early.
What is periodontal disease?
Periodontal disease, or periodontitis, is a long-lasting inflammation of the gums and of the bone and ligament that hold your teeth in place. It is caused by plaque, a sticky film of bacteria that builds up along the gum line and, over time, hardens into tartar.
It usually begins as gingivitis: red, puffy gums that bleed when you brush. At this stage the gums can return to health with a professional cleaning and good daily cleaning at home. When plaque and tartar stay under the gums, the inflammation reaches deeper, pockets form between gum and tooth, and some of the supporting bone is lost. Teeth may then feel loose or look longer.
Treating it early helps protect the bone around your teeth. Smoking and diabetes raise the risk, and gum health and diabetes affect each other, so tell your dentist about your health and your medicines. Your dentist measures the pockets around each tooth, checks X-rays and explains the stage and the treatment that suits you.
Gum treatments
Deep cleaning (scaling and root planing)
Tartar and bacteria are cleaned from under the gums and the root surfaces are smoothed, usually under local anesthesia and over more than one visit.
Gum surgery
For deeper pockets, the gum is opened so the roots and bone can be cleaned and reshaped, then closed with stitches.
Crown lengthening and gum reshaping
Gum, and sometimes bone, is reshaped to expose more tooth before a crown or veneer, or to even out a gummy smile.
Gum and bone grafts
Gum grafts cover thin or receding gums; bone grafts rebuild bone lost around teeth or before an implant.
A Waterlase dental laser may be used alongside conventional gum treatment when your dentist finds it suitable; it does not replace every procedure.
Do your gums bleed?
Book a gum check. Your dentist measures your gums, explains what they find and gives you a treatment plan and estimate before starting.
What happens, and how many visits
Gum examination
Your dentist measures the pockets around each tooth, takes X-rays to check the bone and records the results on a gum chart.
Cleaning below the gums
The gums are cleaned below the gum line, area by area, usually under local anesthesia.
Re-evaluation
After the gums have had time to heal, they are measured again. Areas that are still deep may need surgery.
Maintenance
Regular maintenance cleanings help keep the gums stable. Your dentist suggests how often you should come.
When gum shaping is needed before veneers or crowns, the gum dentist and the restorative dentist plan the treatment together.
Cost of gum treatment
Gum treatment fees depend on how many areas need treatment and how advanced the disease is, and are listed on our prices page. Your dentist gives you a treatment plan and estimate after the gum examination.
Prices on our prices page are shown as ranges. Your final fee depends on what the examination finds, and may include additional items — such as a rubber dam or special materials — when your treatment needs them. Your dentist explains these before treatment.
Who treats you
Gum treatment is planned by dentists with postgraduate training in periodontics, including an MSc in Periodontology and a PhD in Dental Science. Bone graft materials used at the clinic include Bio-Oss, Bio-Gide, Maxgraft, LifeNet and Dentium.
Gum treatment FAQs
What is the difference between a cleaning and deep scaling?
A routine cleaning removes plaque and tartar above the gums. Deep scaling, also called scaling and root planing, cleans tartar under the gums to treat gum disease, and is usually done over more than one visit.
Does deep cleaning hurt?
The gums are usually numbed with local anesthesia first. Afterwards they may feel sore or tender for a few days, and your dentist advises on care and pain relief.
Can gum disease be cured?
Early gum disease (gingivitis) can usually be reversed with cleaning and good home care. More advanced gum disease can be controlled and kept stable with treatment and regular maintenance, but bone that has been lost does not fully grow back on its own.
Do you offer laser gum treatment?
Yes. A Waterlase dental laser may be used alongside conventional gum treatment when it suits your case. Deep pockets and advanced gum disease may still need conventional treatment or surgery; your dentist explains the options.
How often should I come back after gum treatment?
After active treatment, maintenance visits help keep the gums stable. Many people come about every 3–6 months; your dentist suggests the right interval for you.
How much does gum treatment cost?
It depends on how many areas need treatment and how advanced the disease is. Prices are on our prices page, and your dentist gives you an estimate after the gum examination.
Book a gum check
Tell us what you have noticed, such as bleeding or receding gums. A coordinator replies in English or Thai and books a time with a dentist. Open every day, 09:00–20:00 (Thailand time).
Or email us at [email protected]
Content reviewed by Dr. Pawak Tungthangthum — DDS, Chiang Mai University; Master's Degree in Esthetic Restorative and Implant Dentistry (International Program), Chulalongkorn University · Last reviewed