After Your Gum Treatment
Advice on recovering after gum (periodontal) treatment, such as a deep clean below the gumline (root surface debridement): what to expect and how to care for your gums.
Urgent help: who to contact
Call 999 or go to A&E now if you find it hard to breathe, swallow or speak, or if swelling spreads to your neck, under your tongue or around your eye.
Contact your dental team if bleeding from your gums does not settle within 2–3 days, if you get a lot of swelling or a high temperature above 38°C, or if painkillers do not control severe pain. Call NHS 111 outside working hours.
What to Expect After Gum Treatment
Gum treatment is also called root surface debridement (RSD), deep cleaning or periodontal therapy. It cleans below the gumline to remove germs (bacteria) and tartar (hardened plaque) that cause gum disease. It is normal to feel some discomfort afterwards.
- Sensitivity: your teeth may feel more sensitive to cold, heat or sweet foods for 1–4 weeks. This is because your gums may shrink back a little as they get healthier and less swollen. This uncovers part of the root.
- Sore gums: your gums may feel sore and look a little red or swollen for a few days. This will get better.
- Bleeding when brushing: a small amount of bleeding when you brush is normal for 2–3 days. You must keep brushing. Stopping makes gum disease worse.
- Teeth feel loose: if you had a lot of gum disease, your teeth may feel a little different as the swelling goes down. This usually settles.
- Numbness: if you had a numbing injection, your mouth will be numb for 1–3 hours. Avoid hot food and drinks until all feeling comes back.
Cleaning Your Teeth: The Most Important Part
How well gum treatment works depends a lot on how you clean at home. The treatment removes the germs. Your daily cleaning stops them coming back.
- Brush twice a day for at least 2 minutes each time. Use a soft toothbrush and fluoride toothpaste. Electric toothbrushes are very good for gum health.
- Clean between your teeth every day. Use small brushes made for the gaps (interdental brushes), floss or a water flosser.
- Your hygienist will have shown you the right size of interdental brush for your gaps. Use them every day.
- If cleaning feels sore, do not stop. Gentle but thorough cleaning is far better than avoiding the area.
- Your dental team or hygienist may have advised a mouthwash, such as chlorhexidine. If so, use it exactly as directed. This is usually a short course of up to 2 weeks. Longer use causes a lot of tooth staining and changes to taste.
- Mouthwash does not replace brushing and cleaning between your teeth. It is an extra, not a swap.
Food, Drink and Lifestyle
A few simple changes in the days after treatment will help your gums heal well.
- If your teeth are sensitive, avoid very hot or very cold food and drinks for the first 24–48 hours.
- If your gums are tender, eat soft foods for the first day or two.
- Avoid sugary foods and drinks. Sugar feeds the germs that cause gum disease.
- Smoking is a major risk factor for gum disease. It also makes treatment much less likely to work. If you smoke, your dental team can refer you to a stop smoking service.
- Alcohol can irritate healing gums. Cut down on it for the first 24–48 hours.
Managing Sensitivity
Sensitive teeth after gum treatment are very common and almost always short-lived. Here is how to manage it:
- Use a toothpaste for sensitive teeth twice a day, such as one with potassium nitrate or stannous fluoride. After brushing, rub a little onto the sensitive areas. Do not rinse it off.
- Avoid acidic foods and drinks, such as citrus fruits, fizzy drinks and foods with vinegar. They can make sensitivity worse for a while.
- A high-fluoride toothpaste, prescribed by your dentist, can help strengthen roots that are showing.
- If sensitivity is severe or lasts more than 4–6 weeks, your dental team should check it.
Your Follow-Up Appointment
Gum treatment is not a one-off fix. It is the start of an ongoing plan to keep your gums healthy.
- You will be asked back for a check of your gums (reassessment), usually 6–12 weeks after treatment. Your dental team will measure how your gums have responded.
- Any areas that have not fully responded may be treated again at this appointment.
- After treatment, you will need regular maintenance appointments (supportive periodontal therapy). These are usually every 3–6 months, depending on your level of risk. They are essential to stop gum disease coming back.
- Keeping your gums healthy long-term depends equally on your cleaning at home and your regular visits to the dental team.
When to Contact Your Dental Team
Contact your dental practice if you notice:
- Gum bleeding that does not settle within 2–3 days of careful brushing
- Swelling that is getting worse, not better
- Severe pain that painkillers from a pharmacy or shop do not control
- A temperature above 38°C
- A bad taste or discharge from the gum (this may be a gum abscess)
- Any teeth that feel much looser than before treatment
Call 999 or go to A&E now if you find it hard to breathe, swallow or speak, or if swelling spreads to your neck, under your tongue or around your eye. For other urgent problems, contact your dental practice. If it is closed, call NHS 111.
This leaflet is for general information only and does not replace professional dental advice. Your dental team will discuss your individual circumstances and any risks specific to you. Treatment outcomes vary between patients depending on individual circumstances.
Sources
- BSP implementation of European S3-level evidence-based treatment guidelines for stage I–III periodontitis in UK clinical practice (Journal of Dentistry 106:103562). British Society of Periodontology (BSP), 2021.
- Prevention and Treatment of Periodontal Diseases in Primary Care, 2nd edition. Scottish Dental Clinical Effectiveness Programme (SDCEP), 2024.
- Gum disease. NHS website (nhs.uk), reviewed April 2026.
Links checked 18 October 2026.
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