Specialist Gum Treatment & Dental Implants

A periodontist — often called a gum specialist — is a dentist with postgraduate specialist training in the gums and bone that support your teeth. Your general dentist can manage many common gum problems; a specialist referral usually happens when gum disease is more advanced, when gum pockets persist after cleaning, when gums are receding, or when treatment involves surgery, regeneration or dental implants.

You can also book a periodontal assessment directly if you recognise the signs — bleeding or swelling of gums, loose teeth — and would like a specialist assessment. 

It means your dentist has spotted something that deserves specialist attention — usually deeper pockets, bone loss on an X-ray, or gums that keep bleeding after regular cleaning. A referral is a good sign: gum disease caught and treated early is far simpler to manage. Dr Darrell works alongside your general dentist — he treats the gum condition, and your dentist continues your general dental care.

Dr Darrell reviews your history and any referral notes, examines your gums, and charts the pocket depth around each tooth. This creates a detailed picture of where your gums and supporting tissues are healthy and where there may be inflammation or loss of support.

Imaging such as dental x-rays may also be taken to assess the bone beneath the gums. By the end of the visit, you'll have a clear explanation of what was found, the options available, and an itemised breakdown of fees before any treatment begins.

No. You can make an appointment directly with Dr Darrell without a referral letter. Referrals from dentists are welcome and helpful, but a referral letter is not required. If you do have a referral letter or recent X-rays, send them to us by WhatsApp before your visit and we can prepare before you arrive.

No — healthy gums do not bleed with normal brushing or flossing. Bleeding is usually a sign of inflammation: gingivitis in its early, reversible stage, or periodontitis once the supporting bone is involved. Gum disease often causes little or no pain in its early stages, so bleeding may be one of the first signs you notice. If your gums bleed regularly, it’s worth having them assessed rather than ignoring it. 

Gingivitis — the early stage — can usually be reversed with professional cleaning and good home care. Periodontitis, where bone support has been lost, cannot be reversed, but it can very often be stopped and kept stable: treatment removes the infection, and supportive maintenance keeps it from returning. What has been lost can sometimes be partly rebuilt with regenerative procedures. The honest goal is control and stability, and Dr Darrell will inform you what is realistic for your gums.

Regular scaling and polishing cleans the tooth surfaces above and just below the gum line. It is part of routine dental care and maintenance. Deep cleaning (scaling and root planing) goes further: it cleans the root surfaces inside the deeper pockets that form in gum disease, removing the hardened deposits that keep the gums inflamed. It is done under local anaesthesia where needed, usually one section of the mouth at a time.

LAPT uses a dental laser alongside deep cleaning. The laser energy is directed into the periodontal pocket to target inflamed tissue and help disinfect areas that instruments alone find hard to reach. It is an adjunct, not a replacement — the mechanical cleaning still does the main work —  and Dr Darrell will advise whether it's likely to add value in your specific case.

No, antibiotics cannot cure gum disease on their own. Gum disease is driven by organised bacterial deposits attached to the root surfaces — a biofilm that antibiotics cannot clear, because it physically shields the bacteria. Removing those deposits is the treatment. Antibiotics have a specific supporting role in some cases, prescribed alongside cleaning, but a course of antibiotics without treatment postpones the problem rather than fixing it.

Not on their own — gum tissue that has receded does not regrow. What treatment can do is stop the recession getting worse and, in suitable cases, cover exposed roots with a gum graft, where tissue is used to rebuild the gum over the root. Whether grafting will work for a particular tooth depends on why the gum receded in the first place and how much support remains around it — which is exactly what a periodontal assessment helps establish.

Gum grafting rebuilds gum tissue where it has been lost — most often to cover exposed roots, thicken fragile gum tissue, or improve the gum around teeth and implants. Tissue is usually taken from the roof of the mouth or an adjacent site and secured where it is needed. It is a routine periodontal procedure carried out under local anaesthesia, and Dr Darrell explains the options, what to expect and the aftercare before anything is planned.

Crown lengthening reshapes the gum, and sometimes a small amount of bone — to expose more of the tooth. It may be recommended for practical reasons, for example, when a tooth is broken close to the gum line and more tooth structure needs to be exposed for a crown or filling. In some cases, it can also be used to improve the appearance of a gummy smile. It is a minor surgical procedure done under local anaesthesia.

Yes — but the gum disease is treated first. Dental implants rely on the same gums and bone that natural teeth do, and placing an implant into a mouth with active gum disease significantly raises the risk of infection around the implant later. This is exactly why seeing a periodontist for implants makes sense: Dr Darrell treats the gum condition, rebuilds support where needed, and places the implant once the foundations are stable.

You do not always need a bone graft for dental implants. An implant needs enough healthy bone to hold it. Where bone has been lost to gum disease, infection or the time since an extraction, a graft rebuilds it. Some grafts are small and done at the same time as implant placement; larger ones, or a sinus lift for the upper back teeth, are staged first.

A CBCT scan provides a three-dimensional view of the available bone, helping Dr Darrell determine whether grafting is needed and how the implant should be planned. 

Dental implants can function well for many years and, in some cases, for decades. However, no responsible clinician can guarantee that an implant will last a lifetime. What determines an implant's lifespan, more than anything, is the health of the gums and bone around it.

Dental implants can develop gum disease of their own (peri-implantitis), and if left untreated, it is a major reason why implants are lost. Regular maintenance, good home care and addressing problems early can all help protect the health of your implant. 

Peri-implantitis is inflammation of the gum and bone around a dental implant. It is effectively, gum disease around an implant. It usually shows as bleeding, tenderness or swelling around the implant, and on an X-ray as bone loss. Caught early, it is treatable, and a periodontist treats it regardless of where the implant was originally placed. If one of your implants bleeds or feels different, have it reviewed — catching it early matters.

The cost depends on how advanced the gum disease is, how many areas need treatment and, for implants, whether grafting is needed. Our fee guide below keeps consultation, charting and imaging itemised, then groups published starting points for non-surgical gum care, gum surgery and regeneration, implant site preparation and dental implant placement. They are not package prices or treatment totals. After assessment, every quotation is itemised line by line before treatment begins.

Sage Dental Specialists is a Medisave-accredited clinic. Surgical procedures — including dental implant surgery and bone grafting — are Medisave-claimable under their own procedure codes. Routine non-surgical treatment such as scaling or deep cleaning is not Medisave-claimable. The exact claimable amount depends on the procedure, and we check your eligibility and confirm the figures with you before treatment begins.

We work with a range of dental insurers and corporate benefit schemes, and how each plan is handled depends on the insurer and the plan itself. Send us your benefit card or policy details and the team will check your coverage before your visit. CHAS and Medisave details are on our payments and insurance page.