Nosht
Pre-treatment

Your Guide to Periodontal Treatment

A plain guide to treatment for gum disease (periodontal treatment): what it involves, the steps of care, and what results you can expect.

4 min read

What is gum disease treatment?

Gum disease treatment (periodontal treatment) is care from your dental team for gum disease (periodontitis).

Periodontitis is an infection of the parts that hold your teeth in place. These are the gum, the bone and the fibres that join each tooth to the bone (ligament).

If it is not treated, you slowly lose the bone that holds your teeth. In time, your teeth get loose and can be lost.

The British Society of Periodontology (BSP) advises treatment in steps. You move from one step to the next based on how your gums respond.

The steps of treatment

Treatment follows a set path:

  • Step 1: Lowering your risks, and advice. Your team shows you how to clean your teeth better. They give advice on diet and on risks such as smoking. In milder gum disease, this step alone can make your gums much healthier.
  • Step 2: Deep cleaning (root surface debridement). The dentist or hygienist uses special tools to remove the hard build-up of germs (calculus) from below the gum line. You will usually have a numbing injection (local anaesthetic). This is the main treatment for most people with gum disease.
  • Step 3: Gum surgery. Deep pockets may still be there after careful non-surgical treatment. If so, you may need surgery so the roots can be cleaned fully. Your dental team can give you a separate leaflet on gum surgery.
  • Step 4: Ongoing care (supportive periodontal therapy). You will have regular check-and-clean visits for the long term, usually every 3–6 months. These keep your gums stable and stop the disease coming back. This step goes on for life.

What is deep cleaning?

Deep cleaning (root surface debridement) is the main treatment for gum disease without surgery. It is also called deep scaling, root planing or subgingival debridement. It involves:

  1. A numbing injection (local anaesthetic) to numb your gums
  2. Hand tools, a vibrating cleaning tool (ultrasonic scaler), or both, to remove tartar (calculus) and germs from the roots below the gum line
  3. A careful clean below the gum line. The aim is to remove deposits, not to scrape the root smooth. Current guidance calls this “subgingival instrumentation”.

Treatment is usually done one quarter of your mouth at a time, at separate visits. A full course may take 2–4 visits. Each visit lasts 45–90 minutes.

What to expect during and after treatment

The numbing injection means you should not feel pain during treatment. You may feel pressure and shaking (vibration).

After each visit:

  • Your gums will be sore for 2–5 days. Paracetamol or ibuprofen can help.
  • Adults: follow the dose on the packet. Children: use children's paracetamol or ibuprofen and give the dose on the packet for their age. Check with a pharmacist, dentist or doctor before you take ibuprofen if you have asthma, have had a stomach ulcer, have heart, kidney or liver problems, take blood-thinning medicines, or are pregnant.
  • Your gums may bleed more than usual for a day or two. Then this settles.
  • Your teeth may feel more sensitive, mostly to cold. This usually gets better over a few weeks.
  • Your gums may shrink back as the swelling goes down. Your teeth may look a little longer. This is normal.

Risks and important points

This treatment does not cure gum disease. Gum disease is a long-term (chronic) condition. You must keep it under control for the long term. Key points:

  • You will need check-and-clean visits for life, usually every 3–6 months. If you miss them, the disease is more likely to come back.
  • Teeth with a lot of bone loss may still be lost, even with treatment.
  • Some gum shrinkage (recession) is expected as the swelling settles. This can make your teeth more sensitive and change how they look.
  • The result depends a lot on how well you clean your teeth every day. Treatment from your team plus very good care at home gives the best results.
  • Smoking makes the outcome of treatment much worse. Stopping smoking is one of the best things you can do for your gums.

Questions to ask your dental team

  • How bad is my gum disease (mild, moderate or severe)?
  • How many teeth are affected? Could I lose any of them?
  • How many treatment visits will I need?
  • How often will I need check-and-clean visits in the long term?
  • Should I change anything in my daily life alongside treatment?

This leaflet is for general information only and does not replace professional dental advice. It is intended to support — not replace — the discussion with your dental team about your individual options, risks, and treatment plan. Treatment outcomes vary between patients depending on individual circumstances. Your dental team will confirm exact fees and what is suitable for your specific circumstances before you agree to any treatment.

Sources

Links checked 18 October 2026.

Embed this leaflet free on your website

Copy and paste this code to add this leaflet to your practice website. Free to embed — please keep the nosht.io credit.

<iframe src="https://nosht.io/embed/leaflet/your-guide-to-periodontal-treatment" title="Your Guide to Periodontal Treatment — patient leaflet by nosht.io" loading="lazy" style="width:100%;min-height:3900px;border:0"></iframe>
<script>(function(){if(window.__noshtEmbedResize)return;window.__noshtEmbedResize=1;window.addEventListener("message",function(e){var d=e.data;if(e.origin!=="https://nosht.io"||!d||d.type!=="nosht:embed-height"||typeof d.height!=="number")return;var f=document.getElementsByTagName("iframe");for(var i=0;i<f.length;i++){if(f[i].contentWindow===e.source){f[i].style.height=Math.min(Math.max(d.height,200),20000)+"px";}}});})();</script>
<p style="font:12px/1.4 sans-serif;margin:4px 0 0">Patient leaflet: <a href="https://nosht.io/leaflets/your-guide-to-periodontal-treatment/">Your Guide to Periodontal Treatment</a> by Nosht</p>

Sizing. The iframe is fluid-width with no fixed height. Its min-height of 3,900 px is this leaflet’s own measured height in a phone-width (390 px) column, so nothing is cut off on a mobile. In a wide article column (768 px) the same leaflet is about 3,000 px tall — lower the number to that if your layout is wide. A narrower column simply scrolls inside the frame; no content is ever lost.

Related leaflets

After Your Gum Treatment

4 min read

Your Guide to Gum Surgery

4 min read

Your Guide to Dental Implants

5 min read

Your Guide to Dental X-rays

3 min read

For clinicians: Periodontal Assessment notes template, Root Surface Debridement (Step 2 NSPT) notes template.

Learn more about dental documentation on our blog or see Nosht pricing.

View all leaflets