Bleeding gums are easy to brush off, but they’re rarely random. Frequent bleeding, ongoing soreness, or bad breath that doesn’t clear up are signs the tissue around your teeth is already under strain.
Leave them unaddressed, and these signs lead to bleeding or tender gums, gums pulling away from your teeth, persistent bad breath, loose or shifting teeth, deepening pockets between teeth and gums, and pain when chewing.
Our periodontitis treatment in Kirkland catches this early, while it’s still reversible, instead of waiting until the damage becomes permanent.
The periodontitis disease is an infection of the gums and bone caused by plaque left along the gumline. If not caught early, it spreads below the surface and breaks down the tissue and bone holding your teeth in place.
Stages:
Early bone loss, gums bleed easily, pockets between teeth and gums start to deepen.
Bone loss becomes more noticeable, gums recede, and teeth feel less stable.
Significant bone and tissue loss, teeth loosen or shift, and tooth loss becomes a real risk.
Common Periodontitis Symptoms
At Kirkland Dental Excellence, Dr. Oveys Hedayati and our team check for these signs at every visit and build a treatment plan around exactly where your gums are today, not a worst-case assumption.
Dr. Oveys Hedayati has been practicing dentistry since 2010 and has treated patients at every stage of gum disease, from the first sign of bleeding gums to cases that needed a specialist’s help. He earned his DDS from Tehran Azad University Dental School (IAU) and completed postgraduate training in Restorative Dentistry at UCLA School of Dentistry between 2015 and 2017. He holds an active Washington dental license (DE60734395), NPI 1154849735.
His approach to gum health is straightforward: catch early-stage periodontitis and match every case to the right level of care.
His areas of focus include:
We check your gums for bleeding, swelling, and recession, and measure the depth around each tooth to see how far the disease has progressed.
Digital X-rays show us the bone beneath your gums, so we can tell you exactly which stage you're at and what caused it.
Depending on your stage, this might mean a deep cleaning, a course of antibiotics, or possibly surgical care.
Once your gums are healthy again, we set a cleaning schedule built around your case, since gum disease is something you manage long-term, not something you fix once and forget.
For gingivitis or early periodontitis, we recommend a thorough cleaning and better home care.
As the disease progresses, we perform scaling and root planing to clean below the gumline.
If there's an active infection, we prescribe antibiotics to help control it while your gums heal.
For advanced cases with bone loss or grafting needs, treatment moves into specialized surgical care.
Most insurance plans cover a meaningful portion of composite resin fillings, since they’re considered a standard restorative treatment rather than cosmetic. Coverage often falls between 50% and 80%, though this depends on your specific plan and whether you’ve already used part of your annual benefit.
At Kirkland Dental Excellence, we check your coverage with you before treatment. Call us at (425) 827-2003 to confirm your benefits.
| Feature | Gingivitis | Periodontitis |
|---|---|---|
| What it affects | Surface-level gum tissue only | Gum tissue, bone, and the ligaments holding teeth in place |
| Reversible? | Yes, with cleaning and better home care | Damage to bone is permanent, but progression can be stopped |
| Common signs | Redness, mild swelling, occasional bleeding | Gum recession, loose teeth, pockets between teeth and gums |
| Typical treatment | Professional cleaning, improved brushing and flossing | Scaling and root planing, antibiotics, and in advanced cases, surgery |
| Who treats it | General dentist | General dentist for moderate cases, periodontist for advanced cases |
Many people visit us with gum problems and don’t know why. In most cases, plaque is the cause. It’s a soft layer of bacteria that sticks
As the years pass, many people start to notice small changes in their mouth. The gums may not feel as firm, brushing might cause some bleeding,
A periodontist is a dentist with extra training in the gums and the bone that hold your teeth in place. Your general dentist may refer you
Stop Googling “periodontitis near me” and book a periodontal consultation at Kirkland Dental Excellence instead. We’ll check your gums honestly, explain exactly where you stand, and lay out the right next step for your stage.
