Periodontics · Last reviewed May 2026
Gum Treatment That Saves
Your Teeth.
Picasso Dental treats gum disease in Vietnam from non-surgical scaling and root planing for early gingivitis through full-jaw periodontal pocket therapy and surgical phases, plus gum grafting (autograft or Alloderm acellular dermal matrix), gum contouring and gummy smile surgery. Untreated gum disease is the leading cause of adult tooth loss worldwide; we treat at every stage from gingivitis to severe periodontitis.
What is Gum Treatment?
Gum treatment (periodontics) addresses inflammation and infection of the gums and bone that support your teeth, ranging from non-surgical scaling and root planing for early gingivitis, to deep pocket therapy and flap surgery for moderate to severe periodontitis, to gum grafting for receded tissue and surgical recontouring for gummy smiles. Untreated gum disease is the leading cause of adult tooth loss worldwide.
Why Picasso for Gums
Treatment at Every Stage
From gingivitis through full-jaw periodontal pocket therapy to advanced surgical and regenerative procedures. We do not refer out for routine periodontal work, staging is delivered under one roof.
Two Graft Materials
Autograft (your own palatal tissue) and Alloderm acellular dermal matrix. Both have established clinical evidence; we discuss both honestly before recommending one for your case.
Cosmetic Periodontics
Gum contouring (flapless or flap surgery), crown lengthening and gummy smile surgery. Cosmetic gum work is performed only after underlying periodontal disease is fully controlled.
Sequenced Before Implants
Active gum disease must be treated before implant placement. We resolve periodontal infection first, re-evaluate, then place implants into a stable host environment, not the other way around. This is the protocol that protects implant longevity.
Maintenance Built In
Periodontal disease is controlled, not cured. After active treatment, 3–6 month maintenance recalls protect what you have stabilised. Maintenance scaling is priced separately when indicated.
Honest About Severity
We will refer to a hospital-based periodontal specialist when a case genuinely requires it. We will tell you when a tooth cannot be saved and extraction plus an implant is the better long-term answer than heroic salvage.
Itemised Periodontal Pricing
Per-tooth, per-quadrant or per-jaw pricing depending on disease extent. Quoted in writing after periodontal charting and X-rays, never on the phone. For published rate cards across non-surgical therapy, surgical periodontics and soft-tissue grafting (autograft and Alloderm), see the dedicated cost guide.
Healthy gums first, then implants. See our dental implants page once your gums are stable.
Gum Conditions Explained
Six common conditions and what each one needs. Diagnosis is decided after periodontal charting, X-rays and a discussion of risk factors, not from a website.
Gingivitis
Gum inflammation only, bleeding, redness, mild swelling. No bone loss, fully reversible with professional cleaning plus daily plaque control. The earliest stage and the simplest to treat.
Periodontitis (mild to severe)
Gingivitis that has progressed to involve the bone and ligament, deeper pockets, attachment loss, eventual tooth mobility. Treated with scaling and root planing per quadrant or per jaw, with surgical phase added for non-resolving pockets.
Gum Recession
Visible root surface, sensitivity, root caries risk. Causes include over-aggressive brushing, malocclusion, thin biotype and periodontitis. Where indicated, soft-tissue grafting (autograft or Alloderm) rebuilds the lost tissue.
Gummy Smile
More than 3mm of gum visible when smiling. Causes vary, short clinical crowns, altered passive eruption, hyperactive lip elevation, vertical maxillary excess. Treatment matches cause: gummy smile surgery, crown lengthening, Botox, or orthodontics.
Operculitis (Gum Flap over Wisdom Tooth)
Inflammation under the gum flap covering a partially erupted wisdom tooth, causing recurrent pain and infection (pericoronitis). Operculectomy removes the flap; sometimes the wisdom tooth itself needs to come out instead.
Gum Graft Materials
Autograft uses your own palatal tissue, most predictable but adds a donor site. Alloderm is acellular dermal matrix, no second surgical site, single visit. The right choice depends on the recession class, number of teeth and patient preference.
How Treatment Is Sequenced
Five stages from periodontal charting through the surgical phase if needed. Most cases stabilise after the non-surgical phase plus disciplined maintenance.
Charting + Imaging
Six-point pocket measurements per tooth, bleeding and recession indices, full-mouth or panoramic X-ray.
Day 1 · 60 minDiagnosis & Staging
Disease classified per current periodontal staging. Treatment plan and price quoted in writing before anything begins.
Same visitNon-Surgical Phase
Scaling and root planing of affected pockets under local anaesthetic. Plaque-control instruction and risk-factor counselling.
1–4 visitsRe-evaluation
Pockets re-charted at 4–6 weeks. Many cases stabilise here and move directly into maintenance.
Week 4–6Surgical Phase if Needed
Flap surgery, regenerative therapy or grafting for non-resolving pockets. Cosmetic procedures only after disease is controlled.
As indicatedWho Is, and Isn't, a Good Candidate?
Periodontal treatment works for almost every adult with gum problems. Outcomes depend on disease severity, risk factors and willingness to maintain. Here's the honest version.
You're a Strong Candidate If
Your gums bleed when you brush or floss, are swollen or red.
You have persistent bad breath that does not resolve with brushing.
Your gums have visibly receded, exposing root surface.
You are planning implants and want a stable periodontal foundation first.
You are considering gummy smile correction or cosmetic gum recontouring.
You can attend 3–6 month maintenance recalls for the long term.
Treatment May Be Modified or Postponed If
You have uncontrolled diabetes, outcomes are significantly worse and we ask for control before elective surgical phases.
You have recently received IV bisphosphonate therapy, surgical periodontics carries osteonecrosis risk and case-specific clearance is needed.
You are pregnant, we defer elective surgical phases until after delivery, treating only urgent cases conservatively.
You are a heavy smoker unwilling to reduce, outcomes are roughly twice as likely to fail.
Your case is severe and beyond what general practice should manage, we refer to a hospital-based periodontal specialist where appropriate.
Risks & Honest Tradeoffs
Periodontal treatment is among the most evidence-based procedures in dentistry. Here's what the literature reports, what can go wrong, and how we minimise the avoidable risks.
Documented Prevalence
The CDC's NHANES analyses (Eke et al.) have consistently reported that approximately 47% of US adults aged 30 and older have some form of periodontitis, with prevalence rising sharply with age. Vietnamese epidemiology is similar in pattern. Periodontal disease is the leading cause of adult tooth loss worldwide.
What Can Go Wrong
Post-operative sensitivity as exposed roots react to temperature. Partial recession after pocket reduction, the gums sit lower as inflammation resolves. Graft failure or partial take for soft-tissue grafts, particularly in smokers. Recurrence if maintenance recalls are not kept.
Smoking & Periodontal Outcomes
Smokers have approximately twice the failure rate after periodontal therapy and significantly higher recession after treatment. We require honest disclosure of smoking status and counsel reduction or cessation before any surgical or grafting phase. We do not refuse care to smokers, we change the prognosis they expect.
Maintenance is Mandatory
Without 3–6 month maintenance recalls after active treatment, recurrence is the rule rather than the exception. Periodontal disease is controlled, not cured. Routine cleaning and deeper periodontal maintenance scaling are priced separately when indicated.
The Surgical Tradeoff
Pocket reduction surgery exposes more of the tooth root, this can mean more visible tooth length, more thermal sensitivity and an aesthetic change in the smile zone. We discuss these tradeoffs before any surgical phase, with photographs where the smile line is involved.
What We Will Tell You No To
Cosmetic gum surgery on diseased gums, we treat the disease first, always. Gum grafting for a smoker who refuses to reduce, outcomes do not justify the cost. Heroic salvage of a tooth with hopeless bone support when extraction plus an implant is the better long-term answer. We say no when no is the right answer.
Common Questions
Why do my gums bleed?
Healthy gums do not bleed when you brush or floss. Bleeding is the earliest sign of gingivitis, gum inflammation caused by plaque and bacterial biofilm at the gumline. Gingivitis is reversible with professional cleaning plus daily plaque control. Persistent bleeding combined with deeper pockets indicates periodontitis, which damages the bone supporting the teeth and is not fully reversible.
Will I lose teeth from gum disease?
You can, periodontal disease is the leading cause of adult tooth loss worldwide. The good news: progression is preventable and slowable. Even moderate periodontitis can be stabilised with non-surgical therapy plus disciplined maintenance. Severe cases may require surgery, and some teeth may be unsavable; we tell you honestly when extraction plus an implant is the better long-term answer. See our dental implants page.
Can gum disease be cured?
Gingivitis can be fully reversed. Periodontitis can be controlled and stabilised, but not cured, bone that has been lost does not regrow predictably. Lifelong 3–6 month maintenance is essential. Without it, recurrence is the rule, not the exception.
What is the difference between gingivitis and periodontitis?
Gingivitis is gum inflammation only, bleeding, redness, mild swelling. No bone loss, fully reversible. Periodontitis is gingivitis that has progressed to involve the bone and ligament around the tooth, deeper pockets, attachment loss, eventual mobility. Periodontitis is staged from mild to severe based on probing depths, bone loss and tooth mobility.
How long does treatment take?
Non-surgical periodontal therapy is typically delivered across 1–4 visits depending on disease extent, a quadrant or half-mouth per session. Re-evaluation at 4–6 weeks. Surgical phase, if required, takes additional weeks per quadrant treated, plus 7–10 days for suture removal and 3–4 months for tissue maturation.
Does scaling hurt?
Routine scaling and polishing is well tolerated by most patients without anaesthetic. Deeper scaling and root planing in periodontitis is performed under local anaesthetic, you feel pressure, not pain. Sensitivity for a few days afterwards is common and resolves on its own.
Will my receded gums grow back?
No, receded gums do not regrow on their own. Where recession is causing sensitivity, root caries risk or aesthetic concern, gum grafting can rebuild the lost tissue using your own palatal tissue (autograft) or Alloderm acellular dermal matrix. Outcomes depend on the recession class, the tooth involved and the soft-tissue biotype.
Autograft versus Alloderm, which is right?
Autograft uses tissue harvested from your own palate, most predictable, but adds a second surgical site. Alloderm is a processed acellular dermal matrix, no second surgical site, slightly higher cost. The choice depends on the number of teeth, donor-site anatomy and patient preference. We discuss both honestly before recommending.
Gummy smile, surgery, Botox or veneers?
All three are valid for different gummy smile causes. Crown lengthening or gummy smile surgery repositions the gum line itself and is permanent. Botox is non-permanent and addresses hyperactive lip elevators. Veneers can lengthen the visible tooth where teeth are short. Diagnosis decides the right tool, see also our porcelain veneers page.
Does insurance in Vietnam cover periodontal treatment?
Vietnam's public insurance does not cover routine private dental care. Some international or expatriate insurance plans reimburse periodontal therapy in part, we provide itemised receipts in English on request. Quotes are written and itemised before any procedure.
Start Here
Stop the Bleeding,
Save the Teeth.
Book a free consultation. We will perform a full periodontal charting, X-ray as needed, stage your case honestly, and quote in writing before any treatment is booked.