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Gum Disease Treatment · City Heights, San Diego
Bleeding gums, persistent bad breath, or gums that look like they are pulling away from your teeth are signs worth taking seriously. Our office on University Ave between 52nd and 54th Streets — right next to Vien Dong Supermarket — has been treating gum disease for the City Heights community since the 1990s. You do not have to drive across town for a specialist referral to start.
We provide thorough periodontal evaluations and non-surgical gum therapy, including scaling and root planing (deep cleaning) and ongoing maintenance cleanings. Denti-Cal and most major PPOs are welcome, and our team speaks English, Spanish, and Vietnamese.
We are on the south side of University Ave between 52nd and 54th Streets, next to Vien Dong Supermarket — one of the most recognizable landmarks on that stretch of University. Parking is available on site. Whether you are coming from the Fairmount side, up from El Cajon Blvd, or along University itself, you are only a few minutes away.
Gum disease (periodontal disease) is a bacterial infection of the gum tissue and the structures that hold your teeth in place. It starts as gingivitis — redness, swelling, and bleeding that is still reversible with professional cleaning and better home care. Left untreated, it progresses to periodontitis, where the infection spreads below the gum line, breaks down the bone that supports your teeth, and can eventually cause tooth loss.
The foundation of non-surgical gum disease treatment is scaling and root planing, sometimes called a deep cleaning. Using fine instruments, we remove the hardened tartar and bacterial deposits from the surfaces of the roots, below the gum line — areas a regular cleaning cannot reach. This allows the gum tissue to heal and reattach. When there is widespread inflammation across the entire mouth, we may first perform a full-mouth debridement to reduce the bacterial load before doing a more detailed evaluation.
After active treatment, most patients move to a periodontal maintenance schedule — typically every three to four months rather than the usual six. Gum disease is a chronic condition: deep cleaning controls it and keeps bone loss from advancing, but consistent maintenance is what keeps it from coming back. A prevention-focused practice like ours treats maintenance as an essential part of the plan, not an optional add-on.
At your first visit, we measure the depth of the pockets around every tooth, check for bone changes on X-rays, and assess the pattern and severity of the gum disease. This gives us an accurate diagnosis — whether you have early gingivitis, localized periodontitis, or more generalized involvement — and a clear baseline to track your response to treatment.
We perform scaling and root planing by section — one to three teeth, or a full quadrant — depending on your situation. Local anesthetic keeps you comfortable. We remove tartar and bacterial deposits from the root surfaces beneath the gum line so the tissue can begin to heal. If there is widespread generalized inflammation, we may start with a full-mouth debridement visit before moving to the detailed quadrant work.
We bring you back after the gum tissue has had time to respond, typically four to six weeks after treatment. We re-measure pocket depths to see how much healing has occurred, review your home care, and determine whether the results are where they need to be. If more advanced treatment is needed beyond what we offer, we will discuss those options honestly and, if appropriate, refer you to a periodontist.
Once active disease is controlled, we move you to a maintenance schedule — usually every three to four months. These are not the same as a standard cleaning; we continue to monitor pocket depths, clean below the gum line in susceptible areas, and catch any sign of recurrence early. Staying on schedule is the most effective way to keep bone loss from advancing.
Concerned about your gums? Let us take a look — early treatment makes a real difference.
Many people with gum disease have no pain, especially in the early stages. These signs are worth bringing up at your next visit — or sooner if they are new or worsening.
Gum disease is not always obvious without a clinical exam and X-rays. If it has been more than a year since your last checkup, the most reliable next step is a periodontal evaluation.
City Heights — Common Questions
We are on University Ave between 52nd and 54th Streets, next to Vien Dong Supermarket, with parking on site and MTS Route 7 a block away. Denti-Cal and most PPOs accepted, cash-pay welcome. Hablamos español — nói tiếng Việt.