Gum disease is treated according to how much bone has been lost, not according to how it feels. Gingivitis needs a professional clean and better daily cleaning. Early periodontitis needs non-surgical periodontal therapy under local anaesthetic. Established periodontitis needs the same therapy plus a structured three-monthly maintenance programme, and a referral if it has not stabilised in about twelve months.
If you have been told you have gum disease and want to know what stage you are at, we can measure it.
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How is the stage decided?
By measurement, and it takes about ten minutes.
A periodontal chart records the depth of the space between gum and tooth at six points around every tooth, whether each point bleeds when touched, whether the gum has receded, and whether any tooth has become mobile. X-rays then show how much bone is present. Together these produce a stage — how much has been lost — and a grade — how fast it appears to be moving.
That combination is what determines treatment. Not symptoms, because gum disease frequently has none.
Stage one: gingivitis
What it is
Inflammation confined to the gum. Pockets are shallow, bone is intact, and the tissue bleeds because it is inflamed rather than because it is damaged.
What it needs
A professional clean to remove plaque and hardened tartar from along and just under the gumline, plus a genuine change in daily cleaning. That is the whole treatment. At Berala Dental a check-up, X-rays and clean is $250, and that fee takes in three intraoral X-rays, an OPG for new patients and thereafter every two to five years depending on bone loss and periodontal status, intraoral photos, the clean itself and a fluoride treatment, plus a periodontal chart where the clinician judges one is needed. The figure assumes no health fund contribution; your fund may contribute depending on your policy, and a written quote against your cover can be provided before treatment.
What to expect
Inflamed tissue commonly settles within days to a couple of weeks once the cause is removed and home care improves. This is the one stage that reverses completely, which is covered in more detail in the stage where gum disease is still fully reversible.
Stage two: early periodontitis
What it is
Inflammation has extended below the gumline and some bone has been lost. Pockets are deeper than a toothbrush can reach, so bacteria live in them undisturbed. Bone that has gone does not grow back.
What it needs
Non-surgical periodontal therapy — commonly called a deep clean. Deposits are removed from the root surfaces below the gumline and those surfaces are smoothed so tissue can reattach. It is done under local anaesthetic, usually over more than one visit, and it is not the same procedure as a regular clean. The difference is set out in regular clean versus deep clean.
What it costs
At Berala Dental the initial phase is $1,400 to $1,600 all-inclusive. That covers the OPG and relevant X-rays, full periodontal charting, staging and grading, the treatment itself, oral hygiene instruction and the three-month review. Charting is included within that fee rather than added to it.
Stage three: established periodontitis
What it is
Deeper pockets, more bone loss, sometimes recession, sometimes teeth that have started to move or feel loose. This is the stage people have often carried for years, because it can be entirely painless throughout.
What it needs
The same non-surgical therapy, usually over more visits, and then something that matters more than the treatment itself: maintenance. Periodontal maintenance at Berala Dental is $400 every three months, including relevant X-rays and an updated chart.
The honest framing is that established periodontitis is controlled rather than cured. The aim is stability — keeping what is there.
Want to know what a gum treatment plan would actually involve for you? Ask us.
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Why every three months, and not every six?
Because hardened deposits re-form quickly in the months after periodontal treatment, faster than they do in a healthy mouth. The three-month interval is set to interrupt that cycle before it re-establishes itself. Stretching it to six months in the first year commonly means starting again.
The first three-month review is not an exam, and it is not something to be anxious about. It is simply the first look after treatment finishes. Pockets are re-measured, plaque and gum health are checked, and the record of progress is updated. Some reduction in pocket depths and less bleeding is what is generally hoped for. Nobody is being marked.
It is also worth saying plainly: this works when the patient does their part too. Professional treatment removes what has accumulated. Daily cleaning is what stops it accumulating again, and no amount of treatment substitutes for it.
When does a referral happen?
Progress is measured over roughly the first twelve months. If stabilisation has not been achieved in that time, or if the condition is clearly worsening despite treatment, a referral to a periodontist is arranged. Where a tooth is loose, a dentist assesses it and refers as required. Where a case is severe from the outset, referral happens straight away rather than after a year of trying.
Berala Dental is a general dental practice. It provides periodontal treatment and does not have a specialist periodontist on site — treatment is carried out by dentists and oral health therapists. Whether a specialist is the right path is covered in do you need a periodontist.
What happens after twelve months?
Where the condition has stabilised, patients generally move from three-monthly maintenance to a six-monthly recall. That is the outcome the whole pathway is aiming at.
Many extras-level health fund policies contribute toward periodontal treatment, though what yours pays depends on your cover. Every figure above assumes no fund contribution at all; how much yours pays depends on your policy, and we can run a quote against it. A written quote is provided before treatment begins.
Quick answers
Can periodontitis be cured?
It can be stabilised rather than cured. Bone already lost does not return, but treatment and maintenance can halt further loss and keep the remaining support healthy. Gingivitis, the stage before any bone loss, does reverse fully.
How long does gum disease treatment take?
Non-surgical therapy is usually completed over one to several visits depending on severity, followed by a review at three months. The first twelve months are the period over which stability is judged.
Is a deep clean painful?
It is carried out under local anaesthetic, so the area is numb during treatment. Gums are commonly tender for a day or two afterwards, and teeth can be temporarily more sensitive to cold while the tissue settles.
What happens if I stop going to the three-month visits?
Deposits re-form below the gumline and the disease process can resume. Maintenance is the part of the pathway that holds the result, which is why the interval is set deliberately rather than left to preference.
Finding out where you actually stand
Gum disease is measured, not guessed at, and the measurement is quick. Berala Dental has provided periodontal care in Berala since 2002.
A periodontal chart tells you exactly what is happening, including if the answer is nothing.
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You can also read about deep cleaning and periodontal treatment, what a periodontal deep clean costs, or how our fees work. The Healthdirect Australia guide to gum disease is a useful general reference.
Written and reviewed by Humzah Aly, Oral Health Therapist. This article is general information only and is not a substitute for personalised dental advice. Please see a dental practitioner to discuss what is right for you.
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