Gum Treatment - Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore

Turn on more accessible mode Turn off more accessible mode Skip Ribbon Commands Skip to main content Turn off Animations Turn on Animations SharePoint Follow ​ ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ ​​​​ ​   ​​6256 6011​ Contact Us​ DonateSitemap ​​​​​ 2024/12/30 Patients & Visitors Your Clinic Visit Your Hospital Stay Your Emergency Visit How to get to TTSH Financial Counselling Charges and Payments Continuing Care in the Community For Caregivers TTSH Health Library Health & Wellness Find Specialties and Services Find a Specialist Find Clinics and Facilities PEARL Liaison Centre (PLC)

Visiting your loved ones at the Wards? Click here to view our visiting policies.

Healthcare Professionals Pre-Professional Education Medical Education Office For Primary Care Partners NHG Residency Training & Workshops Nursing

Visit Training and Workshops to view training programmes.

Research Research & Innovation Strategic Research Programmes Research Community Key Enablers Clinical Trials Institute of Rehabilitation Excellence (IREx)

Our cutting-edge facilities are designed to enable groundbreaking research and innovation.​

About TTSH Corporate Profile Awards and Recognition Events Careers Charity News HealthCity Novena Heritage Art of Healing Volunteer

View TTSH Awards and Recognition here​.

I Want To Request an Appointment Make a Donation Find Medical Service Join TTSH Order or Refill Medication Pay my Bill Be a Volunteer Refer a Patient View TTSH Events Financial e-Services

Click here to learn more about career opportunities at TTSH.

2026/01/20 A- A A+ Home > Patients and Visitors > Specialties and Services > Dental Services > Gum Treatment Gum Treatment Dental Services Endodontics (Root Canal Treatment) Special Needs Dentistry and Medically-indicated Dentistry General Dental Services Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Braces Prosthodontics Gum Treatment Page Content

Gum disease is a chronic bacterial infection of the gums and the bone surrounding the teeth. This disease can occur at any age and can affect one tooth or several teeth at the same time.

The main cause of gum disease is dental plaque, a sticky mass of bacteria, that constantly accumulates on the teeth surfaces. These bacteria can create toxins that lead to gum inflammation and subsequent damage to the bone surrounding the teeth.

In the early stage of gum disease, called gingivitis, the gums become red, swollen and bleed easily. Gingivitis can be reversed since the bone and connective tissue that hold the teeth in place are not yet affected. If gingivitis is left untreated, the bacteria may spread to the gum tissues and bone supporting the teeth. This is known as periodontitis, or periodontal disease.

 

Good oral hygiene reduces the risk of gum disease across all ages. The following factors increase the risk of developing gum disease:

• Poor toothbrushing and poor interdental cleaning, either irregular or improper techniques
• Smoking, as it affects your body’s ability to repair damaged gum tissue
• Uncontrolled diabetes, which affects blood sugar levels and the body’s response to infections
• Long-term medication such as calcium channel blockers for hypertension, immunosuppressant medication, oral contraceptives, steroids, anticonvulsants and chemotherapy
• Crooked teeth with poor access for oral hygiene
• Hormonal changes such as during pregnancy
• Genetic factors predisposing to gum disease
• Compromised immunity due to human immunodeficiency virus infection or cancer treatment

Gum disease often goes unnoticed at the early stage; consequently, it is important to be aware of the following signs and symptoms:

• Bleeding gums when brushing or flossing teeth
• Red and swollen gums
• Dull ache of the gums and teeth
• Bad breath that does not go away
• Spaces between teeth which are previously not present
• Pus formation between teeth and gums

Gum disease can be prevented. Here are some suggestions to help keep teeth, gums and the supporting bone structures healthy:

• Brush your teeth at least twice daily, for two minutes each time, and floss regularly
• Visit a dentist regularly for routine check-up and professional cleaning
• Do not smoke or use tobacco products

Treatment modality for gum disease depends on the severity of the disease. Nonsurgical therapies that control bacterial plaque are utilised for mild and moderately severe forms of the disease. Surgery may be indicated in the advanced stages of disease to improve access for debridement and to restore supporting tissues

Nonsurgical therapies include:

• Scaling and polishing Dental plaque that is built-up on teeth over time will harden to form calculus, commonly known as tartar. Calculus can only be removed by professional cleaning by a dentist or dental hygienist. A dentist uses an ultrasonic scaling device to remove plaque, calculus and food debris from above and below the gum line, and hand instruments to remove residual deposits on the teeth and root surfaces to make them smooth to prevent plaque accumulation.

• Root planing It requires special periodontal hand instruments to remove tough calculus and bacterial deposits along the root surfaces, usually under local anaesthesia. Root planing may be required when calculus is deeply lodged and loss of attachment on teeth has occurred.

• If deep periodontal pockets associated with active periodontitis persist after initiating nonsurgical periodontal treatment, periodontal surgery will be recommended. Surgery allows the deep pockets of infection or plaque and calculus to be accessed for thorough debridement. The procedure involves raising a gum flap on the affected teeth to remove calculus and stimulate periodontal tissue healing. Bone or tissue graft material may be used in conjunction with collagen membranes in a technique known as guided tissue regeneration.

AccordionContent1 AccordionContent2 AccordionContent3 AccordionContent4 AccordionContent5 AccordionContent6 AccordionContent7 AccordionContent8 AccordionContent9 AccordionContent10 AccordionContent11 AccordionContent12 AccordionContent13 AccordionContent14 AccordionContent15 TabbedPaneContent1 TabbedPaneContent2 TabbedPaneContent3 TabbedPaneContent4 TabbedPaneContent5 2020/11/23 Last Updated on Patients & Visitors Your Clinic Visit Your Hospital Stay Your Emergency Visit How to get to TTSH Financial Counselling Charges and Payments Continuing Care in the Community For Caregivers TTSH Health Library Health & Wellness Find Specialties and Services Find a Specialist Find Clinics and Facilities PEARL Liaison Centre (PLC) Healthcare Professionals Pre-Professional Education Medical Education Office For Primary Care Partners NHG Residency Training & Workshops Nursing Research Research & Innovation Strategic Research Programmes Research Community Key Enablers Clinical Trials Institute of Rehabilitation Excellence (IREx) About TTSH Corporate Profile Awards and Recognition Events Careers Charity News HealthCity Novena Heritage Art of Healing Volunteer 2025/11/20 ​ ​​ 2025/11/13 ​​​​ DisclaimerReport Vulnerability​​Personal Data Protection PolicyNHG Client CharterNHG Whistle-Blowing PolicyRate this Website© 2022 Tan Tock Seng Hospital. All Rights Reserved.Best Viewed with IE 11, Chrome 69.0, Firefox 61.0, Safari 11 2023/11/08