Gum Therapy at Schumacher & Bauer, DDS
Improving gum health and appearance with non-surgical gum therapy
What is gum disease?
Gum disease (or periodontal disease) is an infection of the gums which gradually destroys the supporting structured of the natural teeth.
Quick Facts about gum disease:
- Adults lose more teeth to gum disease than cavities
- 3 out of 4 adults are affected at some point in their lifetime
- Most patient don’t know they have gum disease until the dentist tells them
- There is a direct correlation between heart disease and gum disease
What causes gum disease?
Gum disease is caused by the bacteria that is in plaque. Plaque is the colorless, sticky, substance that is left on your teeth that sits at the gum line. If not removed by proper brushing and flossing, the toxins will irritate the gums and eat away the connection between to tooth and the gum. Even though gum disease is caused by the bacteria in plaque, there can be some additional contributing factors:
- Smoking
- Diabetes
- Stress
- Clenching and grinding teeth
- Medication
- Poor nutrition
- Heart disease
Non-surgical therapy to treat gum disease
The best way to prevent gum disease is through thorough brushing and nightly flossing. We will work with you to improve your home care and help you to prevent and reverse periodontal disease when possible. Unfortunately, genetics also play a role and even some people with good home care habits can still develop some form of gum disease. Once the disease starts, professional intervention is the only way to stop its progress.
Short-term treatment: The initial treatment of gum disease can be done in our office by our hygienists with just 1-2 visits. We make you comfortable and perform a gum therapy that removes the toxins that are under your gums that cause the irritations.
Long-term treatment: If you only do the initial treatment of gum therapy to treat gum disease the likelihood for success is small. A hygienist needs to see you more frequently to help you continually remove the toxins under your gums. This is called periodontal maintenance. If you only do the initial gum therapy there is a chance that the gum disease will not go away fully or it may come back.

Schedule an Appointment
Interested in learning more about gum therapy? Contact the Schumacher & Bauer, DDS team today at 614-451-1110 or request an appointment online.